Mistaken Identities
by HotchRocks
Summary: Someone kills five attorneys who all bear a resemblance to Hotch.Is there a connection? And why has Hotch now received the same letter the others did before they died? Can the team save him before he becomes the killer's next victim? Rating changed to M.
1. Chapter 1Similarities

**This is my first story for the television show Criminal Minds. The UnSub and any OCs are mine. I also don't know where Hotch's wife, Haley is from, so I just picked a state. I don't own any part of Criminal Minds or its characters. Bummer. I hope you enjoy it. Please R & R because I really would like feedback as to how I'm doing. I may not post updates as often as some may like because I want to get things right and I also writing for Hogan's Heroes as well. I just ask patience. I do not own the characters from Criminal Minds. They are the property of the Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios, and CBS Paramount Network Television.  
**

**Mistaken Identities**

**Chapter 1-Similarities**

Ronald Brennaman was running late today for his appointment this morning as he hurried down the stairs from his bedroom and into the kitchen where his wife, Gillian, was pouring a cup of hot coffee for him; a plate of bacon and eggs was already on the table. Their two children, Samantha, eleven, and Christian, ten, were busy eating their cereal.

"No time, sweetie," he said to his wife as he took a quick sip of coffee and then gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm gonna be late this morning for a meeting with my client."

Letting out a deep breath, Gillian ran her fingers over her husband's black hair while gazing lovingly into his dark brown eyes. Even at forty-seven years of age, he had managed to look exactly the same as he always had and even maintained his weight of one-hundred-ninety-two pounds. "When aren't you running late for something, Ronnie," she said with a smile. She walked over to the counter near the door, picked up her husband's briefcase and handed it to him. "I'll see you at dinner this evening. And try not to be late," she added with a smile."

He smirked as he took the briefcase and walked quickly into the living room where he grabbed his car keys and walked out the front door where his silver Corvette was parked in the driveway.

As he drove through the busy early morning traffic, he went over the facts of the case in his head as he drove through a crowded street in Woodbridge, Virginia. Traffic was murder this particular morning. Finally, he came to a red light and was stuck behind a long row of cars realizing he was going to be later than he thought for his meeting. Muttering a string of swear words under his breath, Brennaman opened his briefcase and grabbed his cell phone figuring he'd better call his client and let him know he was running late, and would meet with him as soon as he could get to his home. Car horns were beeping from all directions as he tried to be heard over the phone.

There was so much noise he didn't hear or even see a shadow approaching the driver's side of the car. He only looked up when he heard the rapping on the car window.

"Hold on a minute. There's a joker outside my car knocking on my driver side window." Rolling down his window he looked up at the person and was about to ask what he could do for the person when he saw the gun pointed at his head. It was the last thing he ever saw. As Brennaman collapsed across the steering wheel of his car, the person thanked him and walked calmly back to the sidewalk and disappeared into the throng of busy people on the sidewalk unaware of what just happened.

* * *

Aaron Hotchner, known as Hotch to his co-workers and close friends, and Dave Rossi were already seated in the briefing room waiting when Jennifer Jareau, or JJ as she was known and Emily Prentiss walked in both carrying cups of coffee. A few minutes later, Dr. Spencer Reid walked in drinking coffee as well.

"Where's Morgan and Garcia?" Hotch asked not looking at anybody as he was too busy reading something. Nobody seemed to notice the odd expression on his face.

"They're on their way," Reid said as he sat down.

Just then, Penelope Garcia entered the briefing room with a smile on her face as she sat down.

Shortly afterward, Derek Morgan walked in and walked past Garcia. "Morning, sweet cheeks," he said with a sly grin on his face as he sat down beside Penelope.

"Morning yourself, handsome," she replied as she turned toward him with a bright smile on her face. Reid smirked at the two who always flirted with each other whenever they could. A grin also appeared on Rossi's face as it often did whenever he heard Morgan and Garcia talk with each other. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Hotch fold up a single sheet of paper, stick it in an envelope, and place it inside his inner jacket pocket before looking up, his face unreadable to his friends.

JJ turned on the computer and immediately the image of a man slumped over the steering wheel of his car with blood on the side of his head appeared. It was a disturbing image to the profilers as they looked at it.

"This is attorney Ronald Brennaman, 47. He was on his way to meeting with a client when he stopped at a red light. He is possibly the fifth victim of a serial killer who seems to target men of different ages who are all lawyers. From what we know there is no connection between Mr. Brennaman and the other four victims except that they all practiced law."

Morgan folded his arms. "Did they all practice the same kind of law?"

"No. Brennaman was a criminal attorney with Schonberg and Company for ten years. Apparently, when Brennaman stopped at a red light he was approached by someone on the driver's side causing him to roll down his car window. That's when he was shot in the head."

"Anybody able to describe the shooter?" asked Garcia.

"Nobody knew he had been shot until the light changed and his car didn't move. Somebody in the car behind his got out and approached the victim's car and discovered him slumped over the steering wheel."

"Killer must've used a silencer," Morgan remarked. "Either that or there was too much street noise to hear the gunshot."

Reid was tapping a pencil against his chin. "What about the other victims?"

Clicking her remote, JJ brought up another set of photos. "The first victim was Culver Atkins, age 43, employed with Atticus and Simmons for the past five years as an estate attorney. The second victim was Andrew Bellamy, 40, employed with Jenson, Andrews and Gulliver for three years as a malpractice attorney. Our third victim was Averill Collins, age 41, employed with Collins, Hotchkiss and Collins as a divorce attorney."

"Family company?" asked Hotch.

"Daniel Hotchkiss and Murray Collins were partners in the company in the beginning. After the death six years ago of Hotchkiss, Collins brought both his sons into the company. And our fourth victim was Peter Morrissey, 50, employed with Simmons and Harriman for the past fifteen years as a corporate attorney. Each man was killed a different way."

"How were the others killed?" asked Rossi folding his arms.

"Morrissey was the victim of a hit-and-run outside his office; Atkins was stabbed during a possible mugging only nothing was taken; Bellamy was beaten-to-death in the parking lot of his office after hours and wasn't found until the following morning. And Collins was struck from behind in his garage at home, placed in his car, and left with the motor running. He died from carbon monoxide."

"So except for Morrissey, all the victims were in their early to late forties," said Reid.

"Yes," JJ continued as she changed screens again showing a close-up of a single sheet of paper on which a single sentence was printed in block letters. "Before each murder, the victims all received a letter either through the mail or left on their doors at their homes. The letter read: 'You will pay for what you did to me.'"

Hotch stared at the paper feeling like he should recognize the handwriting but couldn't figure out why that should be. Yet there was something….

"Wait a minute, JJ," said Rossi suddenly leaning forward in his chair. "I just noticed something else. Go back to the photos of the first four victims for a moment."

"What is it?" asked Hotch looking at his friend.

Rossi was carefully studying the photos of the four deceased men. "Now go back to the latest victim, Brennaman, for a second."

JJ changed the screen again. Everybody watched as Rossi slowly got to his feet and stood just to the side of the screen. He momentarily turned to Hotch and then back to the screen.

"These victims all have something else in common," he said looking at the others seriously.

"What is that?" asked Reid. "What do you see?"

Rossi folded his arms and looked directly at Reid. "Well, except for the differences in ages, all these victims bear a resemblance to Hotch." He was looking at his boss when he spoke the last sentence.

Hotch sat up in his chair when he noticed the others looking at him and then back at the screen.

"He's right, Hotch," Emily agreed. "All of them do bear a resemblance to you. Same dark hair, same eye color, except for Morrissey who's dark hair had a bit of gray at the temples and was 50. All the others are early to late forties. You're in that age range."

Hotch got to his feet slowly and studied the photo of Brennaman. "JJ, switch back." When the screen changed, Hotch examined the faces of the others and realized that Rossi was right. The first four victims all had dark hair and eyes as he did except for Morrissey. "It's just a coincidence," he finally said. "People say everybody has a twin somewhere."

"But not five of them," explained Reid.

* * *

The three black SUVs traveled one behind the other on the road from Quantico to Alexandria, Virginia. It was a thirty mile trip which would take no more than possibly forty minutes to get there, but it was too long for Hotch because it gave him too much time to think. And right now what he was thinking about was not what he wanted to.

He was riding in the front passenger seat with Rossi behind the wheel. As he drove, Rossi kept stealing glances sideways at his boss who hadn't said much since they left Quantico. Hotch was staring out of the passenger window seemingly lost in his own thoughts. Rossi knew Hotch for awhile and had already been through more tough times with his boss than he could remember. Hotch had sometimes been extremely quiet or withdrawn like he was now when he had something on his mind, or something was troubling him, and it worried him then just as it did now. He suspected something was eating away at his friend.

"Hotch?" Rossi began with another glance at his friend.

"I'm fine," was all Hotch would say his eyes still fixed on nothing.

"It helps to talk about it." Rossi waited for some kind of response. When none was forthcoming, he decided to push ahead. "Look, if it's regarding what I said about all the victims bearing a resemblance to you, then I'm sorry. But that still makes it true. All the deceased are still similar to you in everyway."

This time Hotch's head turned toward Rossi and the two men looked at each other.

"And I told all of you it's nothing but a coincidence. Dave, I told you before; don't try to profile a profiler," he said. "So let's just drop it, okay?" He returned to staring out the window.

"Okay, consider it dropped," Rossi said. _For now anyway._

Hotch knew if Rossi was suspicious something was troubling him, than it was a sure bet that the others suspected as well. And he didn't want them to worry. He wanted and needed them to focus and concentrate on finding the UnSub, not worry about him. His mind reflected back to earlier this morning, before the others had even arrived in the office.

_Hotch was so glad Haley had taken their young son to visit her parents in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania because it meant neither of them was in danger, and the last thing he needed was to worry about his wife and son being at the mercy of a killer. Them being out-of-town meant they were safe and it put his mind somewhat at ease. He also knew if something happened to him, Haley would be there for Jack. His mind traveled further back to when he came in earlier than normal this morning. He did it sometimes and today was just another time and wouldn't be any different than all the other times he had come into the office earlier than normal. At least not a first anyway._

_His first stop was the kitchen area in BAU's office where he poured himself a cup of coffee from the coffee machine before heading to his own office. He took a sip of coffee and made a face at the taste. Normally he would have gotten coffee from the deli on the first floor, but he had passed them by before he even realized, so he was forced to suffer since he needed that cup of caffeine to wake up this morning. Deciding to suffer rather than doing without, he headed to his own office and sat down behind his desk. That was when he first saw the envelope in the center of his desk. A plain white envelope with no return address but with 'AGENT AARON HOTCHNER' neatly typed across the front. Sitting the coffee cup down, Hotch picked up the envelope and studied it front and back. Other than being addressed to him, there was nothing else written on the envelope on either side. Picking up a letter opener, he slit the envelope open and removed a folded single sheet of paper. Unfolding it, he noticed it contained a single sentence written in block letters. 'YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO ME.' There was no signature. The minute he saw the print, Hotch knew he had seen it somewhere before but just couldn't place it. Then came the murders of attorneys all of whom had received the same letter before they died. He hadn't been an attorney in years; in fact, for ten years he had been an FBI profiler. But that damn handwriting! Where had he seen it before? As a profiler he had made enemies; hell, everybody on his team had made at **least **one. Could this UnSub be trying to confuse things and his team by targeting him? Or was he/she possibly hoping to distract the team by targeting their Unit Chief? But an even bigger question was how did it end up on his desk and who put it there?_

It was driving Hotch crazy that he couldn't remember where he had seen that handwriting before. But he was glad that before they had left Quantico, he had remembered to hide the envelope in the middle desk drawer in his office where nobody would hopefully find it. He had nearly made a mistake by having it inside his inner jacket pocket and taking it out to look at it again while in the conference room. He needed his team not to be distracted by his problem because it could, in the long run, cause one or all of them to be in danger and get hurt or worse. He massaged his forehead as the pounding in his head began. It hadn't gone unnoticed by Rossi.

* * *

The second SUV had Morgan behind the wheel with Reid sitting in the passenger seat. Morgan glanced over at the young man who appeared preoccupied.

"Something on your mind, my man?" Morgan asked curiously.

Reid, folding his arms, looked over at his friend. "Huh?"

"I said is something on your mind?"

"Not really. Well, sort of."

"Care to share?"

"I was just thinking about what Rossi said back in the office about all the victims resembling Hotch, and Hotch's reaction to the suggestion."

"I know what you mean. It's kind of spooky when you think about it."

"How do you mean?"

Morgan glanced over at Reid. "What I mean is, what are the chances that we'd be investigating the deaths of five men all of whom bear a resemblance to someone you work with?"

Reid let out a deep breath. "I know. And Hotch seems to be dismissing the entire thing despite it being so obvious." A sudden serious look appeared on his youthful face. That didn't escape Morgan's observant eyes.

"What's troubling you?"

"I'm not sure," Reid replied. "Morgan, do you think Hotch would hide anything from us that was a potential problem?"

"Reid, just what are you getting at?"

"I'm not sure exactly what I'm trying to say. I guess I'm just wondering whether or not Hotch would tell us if he knew if and what the connection was as to why these victims all look like him?"

Morgan didn't respond to his friend's question as they looked at each other. But now that the question had been raised, he found himself wondering what the answer was.

* * *

Emily brushed a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes as she kept her eyes ahead of her. JJ was seated beside her and kept a subtle eye on her friend. She had seen Emily looked worried but assumed she would talk about what was troubling her when she was ready even though she suspected she already had an idea.

"JJ, can I ask you a question?" Emily asked looking at the blond woman, worried.

JJ looked at her friend. "Sure. What's on your mind?"

"I guess I'm still thinking about what Rossi said back in the office before we left Quantico."

"You mean about the victims resembling Hotch?"

"Yeah. It's kind of creepy don't you think? I mean, think about how Aaron must feel knowing that five dead people look like him. I know it would freak me out."

JJ shivered as she folded her arms although the interior of the SUV was warm. "Me too. I have to admit I've been thinking about it as well." She studied her friend's face. "Em, you don 't suppose there might be a reason all these victims look like Hotch do you?"

"What do you mean?" asked Emily with a look. "What reason could there be?"

"That its really Hotch the UnSub is after and that these others were to throw us off the trail?"

Emily remained silent for awhile as she thought about what JJ had just said. "Anything's possible I suppose," she replied. "But this person is after attorneys, and Aaron hasn't been an attorney for fifteen years."

Not knowing how to respond to Emily's statement, the two women could only look at each other.

* * *

_He had watched them leave the building and smiled when he saw Aaron Hotchner leave with them. The man looked worried to him; even from a distance he could tell. He would have given anything to have seen his face when he opened that letter. He bet he had the same reaction as the others. He wondered if Hotchner remembered him at all? He also wondered if Aaron would have the same look of terror on his face as the others when they knew they were about to die?_


	2. Chapter 2The Investigation Begins

**Chapter 2-The Investigation Begins**

"So whoever this UnSub is apparently doesn't attract attention to himself. That much is obvious," Reid replied as he studied the file in his hands while Morgan continued driving. Reid's cell phone was open and on speaker to enable the others to listen. He waited patiently for a response. There was none. "Why do I say that you might ask?" Reid continued with raised eyebrows. "I say that because he doesn't seem to be a person who stands out in a crowd. Each of these men didn't seem to panic when they saw this person at first, not until they realized they were about to die."

Morgan glanced at the younger man. "You keep saying he. How do you know it's a man?"

"Well, while its true that either a man or a woman could commit a hit-and-run accident, its obvious to me these other crimes were committed by a man. For example, Atkins was stabbed to death during the commission of a supposed robbery. Atkins wasn't a small man. From what I've read, he was about your height and weight. I can't see a woman overpowering him enough to be able to stab him in the lower back several times."

Emily nodded slowly as she listened. "What about Bellamy, Collins and Morrissey?" she asked.

Reid went through the folder. "Bellamy was beaten to death. I'd say by the viciousness of the assault that it had to be a man. Not that I'm saying a woman could not be vicious during an assault, but this attack was exceeding more vicious than any woman is capable of even in anger. Collins, having been hit from behind was then dragged to his car with the motor running."

"I could see a woman capable of doing that," Rossi reminded him.

"Maybe. However, Collins weighed over two hundred pounds and at least six feet tall. I can't see the average woman being able to lift a man of that height and weight without help. And the unconscious body would be dead weight itself which would make it even tougher. I'd say we're definitely looking for a man of about six-one, six-two and at least two hundred pounds if not more."

"Okay," Hotch said still massaging his forehead. "Rossi and I will talk to the spouses of each man, while Prentiss will speak with the families of the victims, beginning with the most recent one. Morgan, I want you and Reid to take a look at the different crime scenes. JJ, I'll need you to put together a press release of some kind."

_The UnSub drove his car using another route to get Alexandria. He knew that's where Hotchner and his team would be heading since all the victims lived there. But most of all, all that mattered was that Aaron Hotchner would be there. He had made certain of it. He simply had to follow him and let his scenario play itself out until the time presented itself and he could make his move in such a way that the profiler would never see it coming nor would he be prepared. It did trouble him just slightly that he would be making Hotchner's wife a widow with a small child. But, those were the dangers of having a job like he had. Hell, besides what he had done to him, Hotchner was responsible for the death of his wife. He was the reason she had to die. He grinned at the remembrance of the terror and fear on her face and in her eyes at the precise moment she realized she was about to die. To him it was a memory definitely to be cherished and never forgotten. And the FBI agent's death would be especially memorable as well. He would see to it. He had quit that miserable job as he no longer needed it. It did serve its purpose as it allowed him to be close to BAU and Hotch and allowed him to observe the agent. It was simply a means to an end and that end would be the death of Agent Aaron Hotchner. He smiled as he kept driving._

* * *

Rossi pressed the doorbell a second time as he and Hotch stood on the front step of the Brennaman home glancing around at the outside. They turned when they heard the door open and a woman stood before them; her face reflecting her grief. Hotch held up his identification so the woman could see it. "Mrs. Brennaman, I am Special Agent Aaron Hotchner. This is Special Agent David Rossi. We're with the FBI; may we come in?"

Gillian Brennaman stood back from the door to allow the two agents to enter. As they did, the agents noticed a boy and girl sitting on the floor of the living room playing with a jigsaw puzzle. The children looked up at the two strangers as the agents walked further into the living room. Their eyes focused on Hotch, both children jumped up and ran to him catching him off-guard. The girl wrapped her arms around Hotch and a smile broke out on her young face while the boy grabbed his hand before their mother could stop either of them.

"Daddy!" the girl squealed excitedly.

Gillian started forward and pried both her daughter away from a startled Hotch and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. Its just that you look so much like their father."

Hotch allowed a slight smile to appear. "It's completely all right. No need to apologize. I have a son of my own so I completely understand." Hotch knelt down in front of the little boy. "What's your name, son?"

"Christian. You aren't my daddy?"

Hotch rustled the boy's dark hair. "I'm afraid not, son. I just resemble him is all." The boy looked up at his mother who asked her daughter to take herself and her brother upstairs since she had to talk to the two men. Hotch stood up as the two children ran upstairs leaving the adults alone to talk.

"Please sit down."

Both agents sat down at the living room table as Gillian massaged her forehead and slowly sat down. She was so nervous right now with two FBI agents in her house and her husband dead. It was more than she could handle. The agents sensed her discomfort.

"Mrs. Brennaman…" Hotch began. "You have beautiful children." He allowed himself to smile.

Gillian began to relax and allowed herself to smile for the first time. Perhaps it was partially due to the fact she was talking to a man who resembled her late husband. "Thank you. Ron was so devoted to the children. Samantha and Christian adored their father. Now, how can I help you?"

_He parked behind the car behind the agents' SUV and sat to wait. He knew which house they were heading to and figured he'd keep following the SUV around as long as he could. He wanted to watch Hotch and get inside his head if he could. He hoped to rattle him even more than the letter had. He wanted him to know he was there without him knowing. "I will be in your mind, Aaron. I will be in your every waking thought until I feel your blood oozing through my fingers." He smiled as he leaned back in his seat dreaming about when that moment came and how he would feel._

"Have you spoken with Ron's parents?" Gillian asked. "I'm sure they're even more distraught than I am. Ron was their only child. His two younger brothers were both killed. His older brother, Timothy, was a fireman and died answering a call. His younger brother Daniel was a police officer and was killed while off-duty. He had stopped at a convenience store on the way home and interrupted a robbery in-progress."

Rossi, seated on the sofa beside his boss, looked at his hands for a moment before looking up again. "We sent one of our agents to speak with his family."

"Mrs. Brennaman," Hotch began. "Can you tell us exactly what happened that day? Try not to leave anything out no matter how trivial."

Gillian sighed wearily. She had repeated this so many times; but she supposed once more wouldn't make any difference since the police hadn't come up with anything. Maybe a fresh pair of eyes couldn't hurt. "I was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for us when Ron came hurrying down the stairs saying he had no time because he was running late."

"Was he in the habit of running late for appointments?" asked Rossi.

"Not at all. But shortly after he was assigned his latest client, he seemed to become, I don't know, different somehow."

"What do you mean by different?" asked Hotch with narrowed eyes.

"It's hard to explain. I guess you might say moody, morose. Like he was preoccupied all the time."

"Do you know what kind of criminal case he was working on?" Hotch asked. "Did he talk about his work with you at all?"

Gillian shook her head. "It wasn't anything sensational. Actually, he was preparing the appeal for his latest client. I don't know who the client was, but I do know he had started receiving threats once the appeal process began." Hotch and Rossi looked at each other.

"What kind of threats?" Hotch asked.

"He never told me about them exactly, except one day I picked up the phone here and somebody on the other end didn't say anything except I could hear breathing. I kept asking who's there but nobody ever answered. Ron heard me, snatched the phone out of my hand and slammed it down on the cradle."

"Were there any other calls?"

"I don't know. Ron had our phone number changed after that. Then there was the letter I found taped to our living room door on the outside." At the mention of the letter, Hotch fought with every ounce of strength he had not to react in front of Rossi. Instead, his face remained impassive.

"I understand you found the letter?" asked Rossi.

"Yes. I remember what it said because it only had one line. It said Ron would pay for what he had done to someone. It didn't mention my husband by name however. The police have it now."

Rubbing his hands together, Hotch looked at the woman. "Did your husband ever complain to you about anybody at work he might have be having problems with? A co-worker or maybe a supervisor?" He and Rossi both noticed Gillian's cheeks develop a tinge of crimson. "What is it?"

"I'm sure he had nothing to do with it," she said with a sigh. "I told Ron he was harmless."

Rossi and Hotch exchanged quick looks. "Who had nothing to do with it?" Rossi asked.

"There is…was a co-worker of Ron's at the firm. A Brandon Cooper. I came to the office one day to meet Ron for lunch; I waited for him in his office. Brandon walked in and said hello and introduced himself. There was something about him that made me feel uncomfortable."

"Such as?" Hotch inquired.

"He started looking me up and down then sat down beside me. He then put a hand on my knee asking how did I end up with Ron. I started to slap him and he grabbed my wrist just as Ron walked in. He completely lost it. He and Brandon got into a vicious argument. Ron reported it and Brandon was fired the next day. He came to our home that same evening and threatened Ron would pay for what he did to him. But I'm certain Brandon had nothing to do with Ron's death, Agent Hotchner."

"How long ago was this?" asked Hotch, his interest piqued.

Gillian sighed. "About two weeks before Ron was killed."

"Excuse me," Hotch said suddenly getting up and moving to the far corner of the room. He removed his cell phone and dialed.

"Tell me what you need, sweetie?" said a friendly voice. "I am your forever servant and at your beck and call."

"Garcia? It's Hotch." He could hear Garcia clearing her throat now feeling totally embarrassed that she had just called her boss 'sweetie.'

"Uh, sorry, sir. I uh, thought you were somebody else."

"Never mind. Garcia, I need you to run a check on a Brandon Cooper and get back to me as soon as you have something."

"I'm on it, sir. Oh, Hotch?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to call you sweetie."

Hotch smirked. "Forget it, Garcia. If that's the worse I get called than I'm doing good."

* * *

Morgan shook hands with the police officer. "You must be from the FBI, I take it," the officer said politely, his eyes studying Reid.

"I'm Special Agent Morgan and this is Doctor Spencer Reid."

"I'm officer Perry Windsor of the Woodbridge, Virginia Police Department." Both agents noticed the officer's eyebrows rise in surprise while staring at Reid.

"Kind of young to graduate medical school, aren't you?" he asked. "You look like you just graduated high school."

Reid seemed to blush just a bit as this was not the first time he had been told he appeared too young to be a doctor. "Actually I have an I.Q. of 187 and an eidetic memory."

He noticed the officer continuing to stare at him with what seemed like disbelief.

"In other words, he's a genius," Morgan explained with a chuckle.

"Really?"

Reid nodded. "Yep," was all he said with a slight smile.

Windsor shook his head. He was a tall, lean man about Morgan's height and build, but with sandy hair and green eyes. His muscular build showed that he enjoyed working out often and kept in good shape.

"So this is where Ronald Brennaman was shot? Where exactly are we?" asked Reid looking around.

"We're at the intersection of Walthrop and Montgomery. We believe Brennaman's car stopped right here," Windsor explained as he walked two car-lengths from the overhead street light. We found his cell phone on the floor inside the car open so we figure he was on the phone talking with somebody when he was shot."

Reid looked around and started walking a few paces at an angle towards the opposite sidewalk. "From the autopsy report Brennaman was shot point blank in the temple at an angle which means the UnSub approached him from the rear," he explained. "And since he was on the phone, he wouldn't have noticed somebody approaching until it was too late."

"So the victim didn't see me at all," Morgan added as Reid approached him from the direction the shooter had taken with one hand in his pocket and approached the vehicle.

"Exactly. Seeing my victim is distracted, I knock on the driver's window. When its rolled down, I pull my gun hand from my pocket and fire." To demonstrate, Reid held his arm out straight with his thumb and forefinger in the shape of a gun. "After I fire, I stick my hand back in my pocket and walk away calmly across the street where I get lost in the throng of people."

"Nobody heard anything," admitted Windsor. "There wasn't enough noise out here that somebody couldn't have heard a gunshot. We just haven't found anybody yet who will admit they heard anything because people were on the street at the time."

"And you won't. The shooter used a silencer," said Morgan.

Windsor raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"A majority of people who use a gun to commit a murder in a public place filled with people will usually use a silencer especially if they want their crime to go unnoticed until they have left the area of the crime."

Prentiss rang the doorbell of the Brennaman home and waited as she reached into her shoulder bag, removing her FBI identification. There was no answer. She range the doorbell again. This time after about five minutes, the door opened to reveal an elderly man whose eyes were red and his face wet. Emily didn't need to be a profiler to know the man had been crying. She held up her identification for the man to see.

"I'm Special Agent Emily Prentiss with the FBI. Are you Mr. Theodore Brennaman?" She stuck her identification back in her bag.

"Yes. My wife and I were expecting you. Officer Windsor informed us he had called in the FBI after Ron had been killed." He held the door open to allow Emily to enter, and then followed her into the living room where she noticed a woman of about the same age sitting on the sofa, her face in her hands. Hearing footsteps, she looked up.

"This is Agent Prentiss of the FBI, Ruth," her husband said. "Agent Prentiss, this is my wife Ruth."

Emily smiled. "It's very nice meeting you both. And please, call me Emily."

"Only if you call us Ted and Ruth," Ted said with a faint smile. "Please sit down." He motioned to the sofa while he took a chair from the living room set and moved it over to the sofa and sat down.

Emily looked at both of them sadly. "I hate to call on both of you during your grief, but I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"We'll do our best to answer any questions you have, Agent Prent…Emily," Ruth assured the agent. Emily smiled warmly. "What did you want to know?"

"Did your son confide in you at all as to whether he was having any problems with anybody at work or outside the job?"

Ted shook his head. "Ron got along with everybody both at and outside of work," he said. "We don't know anybody who didn't like him."

"Have you had a chance to speak with his wife, Gillian?" asked Ruth. "She and our Ron were married a long time. I don't know how she's going to manage with two young children to raise."

"Two of our agents are speaking with her right now."

* * *

_He was bored waiting, so he pulled out of the parking space and backed up his vehicle. When he was near the corner that's when he saw the door to the Brennaman's home open, and out walked Rossi and Hotchner. A smirk appeared as he suddenly got a fun idea to rattle Hotch a bit. He gunned his engine and waited. As the agents stepped off the bottom step of the house, he could see Rossi head to the passenger side and Hotch had the car keys in his hand. _

Hotch stepped off the curb and was now standing outside the driver's side. Hearing his cell phone ring, the agent reached for his phone and stood with one hand on the door handle of the SUV while he spoke with Garcia. That's when Rossi heard the sound. Looking down the street, he felt like his feet were caught in cement when he noticed the battered-looking Corvette barreling down the street heading towards Hotch who appeared unaware as his back was to the vehicle and absorbed in his conversation. Rossi ran around the front of the SUV.

"Hotch! Look out!" he screamed. Hotch suddenly turned to see what Rossi was shouting about and saw the speeding vehicle practically on top of him.


	3. Chapter 3A New Direction

**Chapter 3-A New Direction**

"Hotch! Look out!" Rossi shouted causing his boss to suddenly look up and see Rossi racing around the front of the SUV. "Behind you!" Turning, Hotch saw a car speeding towards him just as Rossi reached out and, grabbing his arm, yanked him out of the way just as the car ever so slightly swerved at the last minute, continued down the street and around the corner. It took Hotch a few minutes to regain his composure from his near-death experience before he realized he was still holding his cell. Thankfully, he had just disconnected the call seconds before Rossi shouted his warning or Garcia would be asking what was happening. He looked at his friend.

"Thanks," he said letting out a deep breath.

"No problem," Rossi replied clapping him on the shoulder. "You all right?"

Hotch could only nod as memories of the letter he had received returned to his head.

"I'm fine."

"You're sure?" Rossi asked again before he turned his attention down the street looking for the car that had nearly killed his boss and friend. Hotch nodded again having now collected himself.

"Let's get moving," Hotch ordered. "We have other people to speak with." He reached for the door of the SUV when Rossi's hand on his arm stopped him.

"Hotch, we should report this to local law enforcement. That could have been either our UnSub or someone connected to him."

Hotch shook his head as he slid behind the wheel. "Let it go, Dave," he said in his best authoritative voice. "Besides, what info can we give them other than a beat-up Corvette? Neither of us got a look at the driver nor a license plate or even a partial. Besides, I believe if the driver wanted to kill me, he wouldn't have swerved at the last minute to avoid me. Now if you can give me a license number perhaps…"

Rossi stared disbelievingly at his friend. "You know I can't. I was too busy trying to get you out of the way." He did, however, remove his own cell phone from his inner jacket pocket and dialed. He put the phone to his ear.

"Who are you calling?"

"The local police. The least we can do is notify them of a battered vehicle speeding away from the scene of a near hit-and-run. Maybe they can at least pull the guy over before he kills someone."

Hotch watched him and sighed, knowing his friend was right. But he also knew if he attempted to stop him, Rossi would become more suspicious than he already was. And Hotch didn't want to bring what he considered unnecessary attention to himself or have his team's focus shifted from their UnSub to him. He listened as Rossi gave the police the best description he could and that being a battered light-gray 1996 Corvette with its rear bumper partially hanging off the left side obscuring the license plate that nearly missed hitting an FBI agent, and their current location. He didn't have a description of the driver. He promised they would be waiting for them at their location. Disconnecting the call, he climbed up inside the SUV and saw his friend simply looking at him with a blank expression.

"They're going to keep a look out for the Corvette and a unit is going to meet us here to talk about the near accident." he said climbing into the front passenger seat. "What's wrong?"

Hotch sighed wearily. "Nothing. I was just thinking about something."

"What?" Rossi asked. Something was definitely wrong with his superior and had been since just before they left Quantico, and no matter what Hotch's reaction would be, Rossi now intended to find out what it was.

"Let's just suppose this is our UnSub. Why would he try and kill me? I'm not an attorney and haven't been for years. There's no reason." He noticed Rossi about to reply and held up a hand. "And don't repeat that theory about the victims all looking like me. Looking like someone else is not a reason for attempted murder, even though perps have killed for stranger ones." Seeing Rossi's face made Hotch's soften. "Something on your mind?"

"Yeah, but you're not going to like it."

"That depends. What is it?"

"Hotch, I can't speak for the others, but I know I would feel a lot better if you returned to Quantico for your own safety. That way, whoever just tried to run you down won't get another chance at you. We can handle things here."

The profiler's face registered the shock he was feeling. "Absolutely not!" he snapped. "There's no proof anybody's trying to kill me and that this was nothing more than a simple accident. I will not run and hide back in Quantico."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. It was just a suggestion anyway. Now, what did Garcia have to say about Brandon Cooper?"

Hotch sighed glad to change the subject. "He was offered the choice of being fired or resigning by Schonberg and Company two weeks ago for sexual harassment of the wife of one of his co-workers but no charges were ever filed. He resigned to avoid the embarrassment. He's now working for Bradford and Hordford. He's single with no children and still resides here in Alexandria."

"Does his current employer know about the sexual harassment charge?"

"Garcia didn't say so apparently not. I believe it was one of those if you resign we'll give you a glowing recommendation kind of thing."

Rossi folded his arms looking lost in thought. "Certainly is a motive for Cooper to kill Brennaman, isn't it?"

"It could also be a motive for the others as well," Hotch replied resting a hand on the steering wheel. It's possible the intended victim all along was Brennaman and the others were simply to throw law enforcement off the trail."

Rossi look oddly at Hotch. "C'mon, Hotch. You don't really believe that, do you?"

Hotch stared straight ahead and sighed wearily. "No. Something tells me, Dave, that this entire thing is going to end badly." He lowered his eyes just a bit. But before Rossi could ask him what he meant by that statement, they both noticed a squad car slowing down and pulling up just ahead of them. Both agents exited their SUV and shook hands with the officers.

"Agent Hotchner. Agent Rossi. I'm Officer Goodloe and this is my partner Officer Martin. We were assigned to speak with both of you and see if there was any additional information you could give us about the car that nearly ran Agent Hotchner down."

"Nothing more than what we already called in, I'm afraid," Rossi explained with a glance at his friend.

"And I didn't even see the vehicle until just before Agent Rossi yanked me out of the way. So neither of us got but a passing glance at the vehicle and never got a look at the driver."

"Only thing I really recall was the rear bumper hanging partially off the back of the Corvette for some reason." Rossi had his arms folded.

"And you said it was a battered light-gray 1996 Corvette, right?" asked Goodloe. Both officers saw Rossi nod.

"Just thought we'd let you both know a vehicle matching that description was found abandoned about eight blocks from here. The driver was gone as was anything that may have been inside. We called in the license number before having the car towed to our garage and checked thoroughly for prints and anything we might have missed."

Rossi and Hotch exchanged looks before facing the officers. "My instincts tell me you know who this vehicle belongs to," Rossi said.

"Yeah, we do," Goodloe began with a sigh. "According to the information, the vehicle belongs to one Brandon Cooper."

* * *

_He sat in a coffee shop about two blocks from where he had abandoned the Corvette. From his vantage point, he saw the two street cops going over the vehicle, but knew they would find nothing in it because he made sure not to leave anything. He took a sip of his latte and savored its flavor. He couldn't stop thinking of the stunned look on Agent Hotchner's face just before he swerved to avoid him and then took off down the street and around the corner. It had been priceless! He secretly wondered if Hotchner remembered his name? Probably not. He took another sip of coffee. But he'd make sure he would know who he was just before the agent took his last breath. No sense leaving Agent Hotchner wondering. But the excitement of seeing the agent react to believing he was about to be struck by a vehicle gave him such a thrill that he wanted to rattle him some more. Finishing his coffee, he tucked his newspaper under his arm and tossed the now empty coffee cup into a nearby trash can before calmly walking out of the coffee shop._

Reid and Morgan were standing outside the law office of Simmons and Harriman with Officer Windsor. The agents were looking up and down the busy street. Reid stepped off the curb and into the street between two parked cars but no further. With arms folded he cupped his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he studied everything in the immediate area before looking down at several sets of skid marks still in the street.

"The UnSub increased his speed when he saw Mr. Morrison," he said.

"How can you tell, Reid?" asked Morgan, not doubting his friend's words despite sensing the officer did. "I mean, there are three sets of skid marks present."

Reid pointed to the skid marks furthest from him. "These marks are more pronounced than the others indicating a higher degree of intensity on the driver's part not to miss the victim."

"How do you know that?" asked Windsor skeptically.

"These marks are straight and never swerve not even a little. Also, they continue from that corner of this block and continue past where the victim was struck. The other two sets are less pronounced and show a slight swerve possibly at the last minute. That tells me the drivers of the other vehicles did not intend to hit anybody but were simply in a hurry." In awe, Windsor glanced at Morgan who simply shrugged with a grin.

"Told you the boy was a genius." He suddenly heard his cell ring. Answering it, he excused himself and walked a short distance away to answer it. "Morgan."

"Morgan, it's Rossi. Can you talk?"

"Sure man. Reid and Officer Windsor are talking. What's up?"

"I'm not sure." Rossi was standing by the rear of the SUV watching Hotch who was speaking with one of the two officers. "I think we may have overlooked something in this case."

Morgan's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Hotch and I just left Mrs. Brennaman's home a few minutes ago and a car tried to run Hotch down."

"What!" Morgan said loud enough it caused Windsor and Reid to look in his direction. "Is he all right?"

"He's fine. Hotch says it was just an accident because at the last minute the driver swerved to avoid hitting him..."

"But you don't agree?" Morgan interrupted.

"No. I think the driver purposely avoided hitting him. Also, Hotch is in too much of a hurry to dismiss it as nothing else but an accident. Morgan, I think Hotch might be the link to our UnSub in this case. Don't ask me why because I don't know why. I just do."

"So what do you want me and Reid to do?" Morgan saw the others now standing beside him with concern.

"I don't want Hotch to know I spoke to you about it or else he'll clam up more than he already is." Rossi paused for a moment. "Listen, wasn't Aaron a prosecutor before becoming a profiler?"

"Yeah. For several years. Why? What are you getting at?"

"Call Garcia. Have her check Aaron's record as a prosecutor and find out how many of his cases resulted in convictions and how many he lost outright or on appeal. We also need to know how many of those who were convicted were most vocal in making threats against him. Then have her cross-reference it with how many of those cases are the perps still incarcerated, set free or deceased along with any family members who may have been vocal and making threats against him. When you get the info get back to me. Oh, and Morgan. Don't say anything to Reid, JJ or Emily. I don't want Aaron to know about this."

"You got it, man. Dave, you think the UnSub's after Hotch?"

"I don't know. I hope not but I could be wrong. And if he is it would explain a lot of things." Rossi spotted the officers shaking hands again with Hotch. "Look, I've got to go. Get that info and get back to me." He disconnected the call.

Morgan stood with his closed cell in his hand lost in thought before he saw Reid staring at him, worried. "Morgan?"

Morgan looked at his friend as if seeing him for the first time. "Not now, Spence," he said as he dialed Penelope's number while moving a few steps away from the younger man.

"Hey, tall, dark and handsome," Garcia said in her usual bubbly voice. "This is your queen of technical wonder speaking. What doest thou wish me to do?"

"No now, Garcia. We may have a huge problem. This is about Hotch."

Garcia became serious hearing her boss's name. "What do you need?"

Morgan relayed Rossi's instructions to Garcia and that she should call him back and not Rossi as he was with Hotch.

"This is gonna take awhile," she said. "Hotch was a prosecutor for several years and probably handled hundreds of cases."

"Do the best you can as quickly as you can, okay?"

"Don't I always," Garcia tried to lighten the situation and could hear Morgan chuckle. He disconnected the call and turned, only to be confronted by Reid who, from the look on his face, had overheard.

"Our UnSub is after Hotch?" he asked, worried with narrowed eyes.

"Look, I don't know what you think you heard, Reid, but…"

"I heard everything you explained to Garcia. Derek, I'm not some little kid who has to be protected. I'm a profiler who's seen what UnSubs can do. I've even experienced it personally with Tobias Henkel. Now, is the UnSub after Hotch?"

Morgan sighed. "We don't know; not for sure anyway. Seems like somebody may have tried running Hotch down just after he and Rossi left the Brennaman home. He's okay. But you know Hotch. He dismisses it as just a near accident because the driver swerved at the last minute to avoid him."

"But Rossi isn't sure, is he?"

"No. That's why he wants Garcia to check Hotch's record from when he was a prosecutor."

Biting his lower lip Reid could only nod. Being the youngest member of BAU, he always felt out-of-place even though he was a member of the team. And when he first met Aaron Hotchner he noticed immediately the man oozed confidence, control and although he didn't verbally order it, the way he carried himself demanded respect. But Reid soon discovered that Hotchner, or 'Hotch' as he preferred to be called, was very easy to get along with and talk to. He took the young profiler under his wing and encouraged him in every way, and always had time if Reid had a problem, a question, or simply needed to talk to someone. He was also the same way with everyone on his team, but especially with him. He soon looked upon the older agent as sort of a big brother and that thought warmed the young man. And just the thought of someone wanting to hurt the older agent did not sit well with Spencer Reid at all. Swallowing hard, he looked at Morgan.

"So what do we do?" he asked firmly, but Morgan could see in his friend's face exactly what he was feeling himself. "I'm not going to sit by and allow somebody to hurt him or worse."

Morgan rested a hand on Reid's shoulder. "Take it easy. We're not going to. But first we have to see if there's anything to actually worry about. I mean it could end up being what Hotch says it was, just an accident and nothing else. After-all, the guy did swerve at the last moment to avoid hitting him. Now I don't know any UnSubs who try to avoid hurting someone. Rossi's just covering all the bases is all."

"Do we know if Hotch received a letter like the attorneys?"

"Not that I know of. Look, Reid, We both know Hotch hasn't been an attorney for several years. That just further proves that it was probably just an accident."

"And what if it isn't just an accident?"

"Look, we'll cover that bridge when and if we get to it. And Reid, Rossi didn't want me to tell you, JJ or Emily. I suggest you keep it from them until we know more. Okay?"

Reid appeared a bit flustered. "Okay. Yeah. Sure." He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Reid, it'll be all right. Trust me. If it has nothing to do with the case, the local police will get him. And _if_ it's our UnSub, we'll find a way to protect Hotch no matter what. So try not to worry."

Reid allowed a small smile to appear. But inwardly he wanted to scream.


	4. Chapter 4Narrowing The Field

Thanks to CMFAN2009 for reviewing this chapter for me to help me get it right.

**Chapter 4-Narrowing The Field**

It was very late by the time Hotch and his team returned to Hotch's hotel room where they all decided to meet and go over what had been uncovered during the day and hopefully come up with a profile of their UnSub. Hotch practically collapsed in a chair and ran a hand over his dark hair. It was then he noticed Reid watching him with concern.

"Something wrong?" he asked the young man.

As if surprised his boss caught him watching him, Reid nervously shifted in his chair. "Uh, no, no. Everything's fine. Just had a long day." An equally nervous partial grin appeared.

"Haven't we all," Hotch answered wearily. He glanced about his team. "Okay, so what have we got?"

Morgan leaned forward from his seat on the sofa, arms on his thighs and rubbing his hands together. "Reid and I visited all the crime scenes…." he began when Rossi's cell phone rang. When he saw who it was he got up from his seat. "It's Garcia. I have to take this. Excuse me." He left the room to answer the call.

"What did you find?" he asked the computer tech.

"Okay. First, I'm sorry it took so long but there were over eight hundred cases Hotch handled during his five years as a prosecutor. Of those eight hundred, Hotch was successful in prosecuting seven hundred and twenty cases and lost eighty. Of those seven hundred and twenty, one hundred and seventy-five complained to anyone who would listen that Hotch either concealed or tampered with evidence and witnesses, the usual. Of course we all know Hotch wouldn't do such a thing. Now, of those remaining one hundred seventy-five, one hundred are still incarcerated; that leaves seventy-five. Of those seventy-five, ten are still on death row; twenty-five either died in prison or while awaiting appeal; seventeen were set free on appeal. That leaves twenty-three who, by last check, were quite vocal about getting back at Hotch after their conviction."

Rossi sighed wearily. "It wouldn't be someone still incarcerated because it would require hiring someone on the outside to do the job and would be too risky for our guy to kill Hotch because then he wouldn't be in control. There's no way for him to let Hotch know who was behind it. And those freed on appeal would no longer care because they were free. What about those on death row?" Rossi heard Garcia clicking away on her keyboard.

"Eight of them have been executed and the other two are awaiting execution; all their appeals have been exhausted."

"What about the others who died in prison?"

"Looks like after initially threatening Hotch for their situations they didn't have anything else to say."

"Sounds as if they were simply blowing off steam after the shock of being convicted."

"That's what I believe, too," Garcia said.

Rossi let out a deep breath. "Twenty-three possibilities. Is there anyway to narrow it down?"

Garcia smiled. "I knew you'd ask that oh wise one, so I went back about six months. Six of them have since been brought up on additional charges while incarcerated; seven spend their days in solitary with no contact with other prisoners. Three were killed by other prisoners during fights; four were transferred to other prisons out of the area. That leaves three. Those three escaped together about ten days ago. One was shot and killed during a stand-off with Missouri police yesterday, another committed suicide rather than be re-arrested, and the third one is still at-large. The three escapees were still threatening Hotch at the time they escaped and promised to kill him. There's an APB out on the one still at-large."

"Good job, Garcia," Rossi commented.

"Thank you. But don't grovel at my feet just yet. There's something else."

"What's that?"

"One of the escapees was named Cooper. Shane Cooper."

"Cooper? That's the same last name as…"

"The guy who made a play for Brennaman's wife, I know. They're brothers. Brandon is the older of the two. They both made a lot of noise when Shane was convicted."

"What was he convicted for?"

"Let's see. There's a newspaper article. Oh God."

Rossi heard the change in her tone. "What is it?"

"Shane Cooper was charged with the murder of a female police officer by shooting her execution-style when she walked in on a stick-up in progress while off-duty."

"Garcia, you are an angel."

"But of course mere mortal. I am a Goddess after-all. Rossi, don't let anything happen to the boss-man."

"We won't," Rossi promised. "Thanks." He disconnected the call and with hands on hips looked in the direction of the living room.

* * *

"As I was saying, Reid and I visited all the crime scenes," Morgan continued after Rossi left the room. "There was nothing unusual about any of them and it looks like our UnSub got the drop on each of our victims. None of them ever realized they were in any kind of danger from this guy."

Reid, his long legs outstretched and crossed, had his elbows on the arms of his chair with fingertips meeting. "Of course Morrissey was the victim of a hit-and-run, and Collins was hit from behind and put in his car. Brennaman was already in his car when he was shot. That leaves Atkins and Bellamy, and both of them saw their attacker before they were killed."

Emily's eyebrows went up. "Wait a minute. They _saw_ their attackers?"

Everybody glanced up when Rossi re-entered the room. Hotch noticed the expression on his face. "You okay?" he asked the older agent.

"Yeah. I had Garcia check something out for me. It can wait though." Rossi noticed Hotch give him an odd look before turning back to Reid. "Care to explain?"

Reid swallowed. "Well, when we were at the crime scene where Atkins was stabbed during a possible robbery, there were two sets of footprints facing each other indicating two men were facing each other possibly engaged in conversation at the time. Then one of the men turned his back on the other because he stepped almost in his exact footprints except the toes were pointing in the opposite direction. That was when the UnSub stabbed him because you can see where Atkins' heels dug into the ground indicating he was reacting to having been stabbed in the back."

"And Bellamy?" asked JJ.

"The car door opener device was under his car after he fell face-down on the ground near his car," Reid continued. "It appears whoever it was engaged him in conversation before he killed him. A passing security guard who saw them earlier said the victim didn't appear nervous or need assistance, so he kept going on his tour. When he returned later he found Bellamy's body in a pool of blood with no sign of the other person."

"Wait a minute," JJ said with a shake of her head. "How much time passed between the time the security guard saw Bellamy speaking with someone until he found his body?"

Reid looked at Morgan.

"About twenty minutes," Morgan explained. "When he returned he found the body and no sign of the perpetrator."

Hotch let out a deep breath. "We know Morrissey and Bellamy were both killed at their place of business. Did either of these places have surveillance cameras?"

"Jenson, Andrews and Gulliver where Bellamy worked does, but the camera that surveys the employee parking lot was broken," Reid explained.

"And the company where Morrissey was employed has surveillance cameras but only inside the building," Morgan added. "Not covering the parking lot."

Hotch and Rossi turned their attention then to Prentiss. "Emily?" Rossi asked.

Letting out a deep breath, Prentiss crossed her long legs and folded her arms. "According to Brennaman's parents he had no enemies and was well-liked by all who knew him. His marriage was sound and as far as they knew there were no problems financial or otherwise. Bellamy was divorced and after his ex-wife remarried she moved out of the state. There were no children. I left a phone message and she hasn't gotten back to me yet. Atkins' fiancée is named Julie Ackers and she told me Atkins was very respected by his bosses, co-workers and all who knew him. As far as she knew he had no problems at work or at least none that he ever told her about, and no enemies. In fact, the first time she even knew about the letter was when the police told her about it. It had been found in his briefcase in his car."

"What about Collins and Morrissey?" asked Reid.

"Collins was married in his early twenties but his wife divorced him a year later because of personal reasons. She also moved out-of-the-state ten years ago. Morrissey is a widower. His wife, teenage and infant daughters were killed in a car accident fifteen years ago when a drunk driver ran through a red light and hit them head-on. Both cars exploded on impact. He never remarried and wasn't seeing anybody as far as I know." Emily saw Hotch wince when she had explained about Morrissey's two daughters knowing how her boss felt when children were involved.

"What about the parents of the others?" asked JJ. "Were you able to talk to them?"

Prentiss sighed wearily. "The parents of Morrissey are deceased as are his late wife's parents. Bellamy's parents are out-of-the country on a cruise and can't be reached. I didn't have a chance to speak with the parents of Atkins or Collins. I can speak with them first thing tomorrow."

"How was your day?" Reid asked looking at Hotch and Rossi. Rossi sighed and ran a hand over his hair.

"According to Mrs. Brennaman, her husband was well-liked and respected by everyone but never discussed his work with her. She told us she had found the letter the others had received. She also mentioned there had been a telephone call with nobody on the other end although she sensed there was someone there. After that, her husband had their phone number changed."

"However…" Hotch continued. "She did tell us something interesting. Seems two weeks before her husband's death, a co-worker got a little physical with her while she waited for her husband in his office which resulted in him nearly coming to blows with her husband when he walked into his office. She had gone there to meet him for lunch. Brennaman reported the incident and the co-worker was fired. Name was Brandon Cooper. I had Garcia run a check on him. We'll question him tomorrow. Emily can finish with the family members also." Hotch turned his attention to Reid, Morgan and JJ. "I want you guys to visit the law firms involved and see what you can find out there. See if any of the clients of the victims weren't happy with their cases. We'll then meet back at the police station tomorrow afternoon. I'd like to have profile ready by four tomorrow afternoon. Any questions?" Seeing there were none, Hotch started to get up but was stopped when Rossi put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hotch, wait a minute. There's something we need to discuss while the entire team is here."

"What is it?"

"Does the name Shane Cooper ring any bells with you?"

Hotch, wracking his brains for several minutes, shook his head. "Can't say it does. Who is he?"

"He's the younger brother of Brandon Cooper, our possible UnSub, and possibly the man who tried to run you down this afternoon outside the Brennaman home." Rossi never broke eye contact with Hotch who's own eyes narrowed and his face darkened.

JJ and Emily, both caught by surprise, were momentarily speechless. Finally, it was Emily who spoke.

"Hotch? Somebody tried to kill you?"

Jumping to his feet angrily, Hotchner glared at Rossi. "I told you to drop it, Dave! What happened has nothing to do with this case. End of story."

"Not from where I sit, man," Morgan said leaning forward. "I mean, you can shrug it off all you want; but you've been distracted since before we left Quantico. Now something's eating at you and we believe it has something to do with this case. But in case you forgot, these victims all look like you and I don't think it's a coincidence. Now why don't you let us help you?"

Hotch ran a hand over his dark hair. "Because there's nothing to help with."

Rossi figured this had gone on long enough. "Hotch, listen to me. I had Garcia go back over your record as a prosecutor. Now it took her awhile since you handled over eight hundred cases, but she finally finished. I then had her cross-reference the seven hundred and twenty case you successfully prosecuted out of eight hundred with those still in prison, and the ones most vocal in threatening you. She narrowed it down to twenty-three people. Of those twenty-three, it was narrowed down further to three who still wish you harm. And of those three, there's only one. I said Shane Cooper is the younger brother of Brandon Cooper. When you were a prosecutor, you convicted Shane for killing a police officer. He threatened you from the moment the guilty verdict was read and hasn't stopped threatening you to anyone who would listen. His older brother Brandon threatened you also because of the conviction." Pausing, Rossi could tell he had Hotch's full attention before continuing. "According to Garcia, ten days ago the three men still threatening you all escaped from prison. One was shot and killed in Missouri yesterday; another killed himself before the police could arrest him again, and the third one, Cooper, is still at-large. Now you tell me if there's no connection."

Letting out a deep breath before collapsing into a chair. Hotch massaged his forehead with one hand, then let his head fall backwards and stared up at the ceiling.

Reid licked his lips. "Hotch, you have a wife and son who need you. We need you. Let us help. Five men have already died at the hands of this UnSub whoever he is. We don't want to see you become number six." Hotch turned his head to look at the young genius.

"Don't shut us out, man," Morgan added. "We want to help."

Hotch seemed as if he wasn't listening as he continued staring at the ceiling. "I received a letter the day we left Quantico to come here. It was lying on my desk when I came into the office. No return address, no nothing. When I opened the envelope there was a single sheet of paper inside. The message was the same one as the others. 'You will pay for what you did to me.'"

"Did you turn the letter over to the lab to have it checked for DNA and dusted for prints?" asked Rossi already suspecting what the answer was going to be. Hotch's silence gave him his answer. Rossi mumbled something under his breath.

Morgan got to his feet swearing under his breath as he stormed around the room. "What's the _matter_ with you, man?" he asked his boss. "I know you know better than that, Hotch. Just what the _hell_ were you thinking?"

"I don't know," was all Hotch could say quietly.

"What do you mean you don't know…?" Morgan began when Rossi's hand gripped his shoulder.

"That's enough, Morgan," he said calmly. The two men stared hard at each other.

"What are you saying, Rossi?" Morgan asked. "You saying you're okay with what he did?"

"No," Rossi's voice remained calm. "I'm saying that's _enough_." He looked at the others. "Look, guys, why don't all of you give us some privacy. I need to speak with Hotch for a few minutes." He and Morgan continued to stare at each other and then Morgan's eyes shifted to his boss who wasn't looking at anybody or anything. He sighed.

"Sure. I mean okay. No problem. We'll wait outside in the hall." Morgan motioned with his head for the others to follow him and leave the two men alone. Emily, JJ and Reid slowly walked out the door and waited as Morgan paused in the doorway. He looked back at his boss. "Hotch, for what its worth, man, I'm sorry I lost my temper." Hotch didn't answer but maintained the same blank expression on his face. Sighing, Morgan exited and closed the door leaving the two men alone. Sighing wearily, Rossi sat down in a chair facing his friend.

"_Dammit_, Hotch!" Rossi bellowed. "You of all people should know better. The minute you received that letter, opened it, and saw what it was, you should have turned it over to the lab and had it tested for any possible fingerprints and DNA. What were you thinking?" Hotch didn't reply but continued staring. "Well?" asked a still irate Rossi. "Don't you have _anything_ to say for yourself?"

Hotch closed his eyes and massaged his forehead with two fingers. "I don't have anything to say. Is that what you want to hear, Dave? Go ahead and say it," his voice was flat and without emotion. "I possibly destroyed evidence that could help catch an UnSub. There, I said it. I may have destroyed evidence. If you want to report me to Strauss go ahead. I can't stop you. Just do it and get it over with."

Rossi let out a deep breath and didn't know what to say to his boss and someone he considered his best friend. He was at a loss for words. Although he was angry that his friend may have destroyed evidence, he also felt sympathy for him and how he must have felt seeing that letter addressed to him after the murders of five attorneys who all bore a resemblance to him. He knew it must have rocked Hotch to the core.

"Where's the letter?" asked Rossi gently.

"In my middle desk drawer back in Quantico. I didn't want to take a chance bringing it with me." Hotch suddenly let out a deep breath. "Dave, I won't deny anything if you want to tell Strauss what happened. I have no defense for what I did, plain and simple."

"It's okay, Aaron," Rossi assured him. "Don't worry about it." He patted his friend's arm.

"I guess I didn't want you to focus on me. You all needed to concentrate on the UnSub and not me. Any distraction could be disastrous for any or all of you and I didn't want that. I know its not an excuse, but it's the truth."

"I know," said Rossi. He smirked. "You realize of course I should kick your butt for withholding evidence. But I won't because I think you're doing enough of that on your own."

Hotch chuckled slightly. "You think?" He let out a deep breath. "I know I have no right to ask, but what are you going to tell Strauss?"

Rossi let out an equally deep breath and studied his friend's face. "I'm not going to tell Strauss anything. There's no reason for her to know. As far as anyone knows, that letter arrived for you right after we left to come here. You never saw it."

Hotch didn't respond. He looked at his friend with a silent 'thank you' on his face.

"You're welcome," Rossi replied with a smile. "So, you ready to let the others back in?"

"Might as well. They're probably wondering what's going on in here anyway."

Getting to his feet, Rossi walked over to the door and opened it motioning for the others to come back inside. As he closed the door he noticed the others sitting down around their Unit Chief. "Hotch and I have discussed a few things," He began slowly. "And I've decided Strauss needn't be told anything about this. We all know she'd just use it against Aaron. Do any of you have a problem with that because if you do, I need to know now." The others voiced their agreement that despite being angry with their Unit Chief for destroying evidence, they would stand by and protect him from any reprimand Section Chief Erin Strauss might issue if she discovered the truth considering how much she disliked Hotch. If she did, they each knew she would see to it Hotch's career with the FBI and BAU would come to an immediate end.

Reid looked at his hands which were in his lap and remained quiet. JJ studied the young genius with concern.

"Reid, you have a problem with what Rossi asked of us?" she asked sounding surprised.

"Not at all," Reid replied. "I was just wondering if we can still get any useful fingerprints off of the letter Hotch received."

"Forget about the fingerprints, Reid," Rossi advised him gently.

"What do you mean forget about it?" asked Morgan a little louder and harsher than he wanted. "We might still be able to get something…."

"I said forget it," Rossi replied more firmly. "The only prints we'll probably find on the envelope and letter will be Hotch's anyway."

Morgan groaned. "You don't know that, man. Just because there weren't any on the others doesn't mean…"

"I _said_ leave it alone," Rossi reiterated. He watched Morgan fold his arms but remain silent.

"Something just occurred to me," Emily suddenly said in a soft voice.

"What's that?" asked JJ, curious.

"We might have to rethink a few things about this UnSub now," Emily replied looking at the blond woman.

"Like what?"

"Well, first we need to know if Hotch has been the intended target all along. Two, if he is, did the UnSub kill the others out of frustration because he couldn't get to Hotch? Or if he's delusional and truly believed the other victims were really Hotch and only after he killed them realized they weren't?"

"And its more important than ever that we speak with Brandon Cooper and find his brother Shane," Rossi added. "One or both of them could be our UnSub."

"You know," said Reid. "It's not unusual for brothers to be involved in committing murder together. In 1880, Dostoevsky wrote The Brothers Karamazov which told about four brothers driven by uncontrollable emotions of rage and revenge and become involved in the murder of their father. And in April of 2003, in Largo, Florida, identical twin brothers were found guilty of the murder of a cocktail waitress thirteen years earlier."(1)(2)

Rossi squeezed Hotch's shoulder. "Don't worry, Aaron. We'll get him. I promise you we'll get him."

"Just promise me one thing," Hotch said looking at his team.

"Anything," Rossi promised. "What is it?"

"If anything happens to me, promise me you'll look after Haley and Jack for me."

Rossi, Reid, JJ, Morgan and Prentiss all exchanged concerned looks. Finally, Emily looked her boss straight in the eye.

"We promise," she said softly.

* * *

(1) The Brothers Karamazov was the last work written by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

(2) The murder in Largo, Fla. is true from the Associated Press of April 25, 2003. Identical brothers, Brian and Alfred Calzacorto were charged with the rape and murder of Laurie Colannino in 1990.


	5. Chapter 5I'm Watching You

**Chapter 5-I'm Watching You**

Finally alone in his hotel room, Hotch poured himself a glass of Scotch from the liquor cabinet and sat down on the sofa, taking a sip of the amber liquid as he did so. It felt good going down. He knew things had ended on a weird note with him revealing to his team about the letter and him concealing it from them, as well as the possibility he may have destroyed evidence in the process. He took another sip of Scotch and massaged his forehead with a hand. Normally they would return to Quantico as they were so close, but because of the hour, it had been decided it would be better just to spend the night and then drive back the next day to go over everything after the profile had been released to the local authorities and the public.

Shane Cooper was a name he hadn't heard in years, yet he did remember the case itself if not the name. It had been one of his most intense and exhaustive cases as he recalled. Cooper had walked into a convenience store, pistol-whipped the owner who was in his sixties, and left him lying in the back in a pool of blood, and was holding the clerk behind the counter at gunpoint when a female uniformed police officer had walked in to buy something, unaware a robbery was in progress as Cooper hid the gun in his pocket but kept it pointed at the clerk the entire time. As she sat a can of soda on the counter and prepared to pay for it, she noticed the subtle shift of the clerk's eyes towards Cooper and reached for her gun now aware of what was going down. But Cooper was slightly faster. He had pulled out his pistol and shot the young officer in the head between her eyes killing her instantly; she was only twenty-five and had been with the force only a year at the time. Cooper then shot the clerk and left empty-handed.

The description of Cooper by the clerk who miraculously survived the shooting, although the store owner did not, and the ensuing investigation was intense. When Cooper was finally arrested and brought to trial, Hotch knew he could get a conviction even without his star witness who was the store clerk; but who wanted to and was still able to testify from her hospital bed via the use of technology being in court. The trial had been long and exhausting, but when it went to the jury, Cooper was found guilty in record time, less than two hours. During the penalty phase the same jury sentenced him to death. It was his last case as a prosecutor. Aaron Hotchner, shortly after that trial handed in his resignation deciding that he was tired of coming in at the end and seeing the evil people do and having to pick up the pieces of peoples' shattered lives. He decided he wanted to be able to keep people like Shane Cooper from doing what he did to others in the beginning instead of having to clean things up after they'd been done already. It was then he and Haley sold their home and moved to Seattle where he joined the FBI. To him, after years of being a prosecutor, the cases all began to run together until he could no longer tell where one ended and another began. He then knew it was time to leave. He was no longer involved while Cooper's case went through its appeals process.

Taking another drink of Scotch, Hotch sat the glass down on the table and, grabbing the phone, sat it in his lap and dialed his home number to check his messages. Listening, he discovered there were two from Haley and one from Jack. Punching in his code, he listened to each of them. One of Haley's messages was pretty average: they were having a wonderful time and her parents were enjoying their visit with their grandson. And she wished he had been able to come with them. The other was how much she and Jack loved and missed him. Her parents passed along their best wishes and hoped he could come visit next time and how much Jack missed his daddy. But it was Jack's message that tugged at Hotch's heartstrings the most.

"_Hi, daddy. Miss you. Love you." _Hotch could hear Haley in the background urging Jack and chuckled. _"Having fun with grandpa and grandma. Gotta go. Love you. Bye daddy."_ The message ended. Hotch sighed wearily as he hung up the phone and sat it back on the table, picked up his drink, and drained the remnants of the liquor. He was about to get up and pour himself another when the phone rang. Picking up the receiver he put it to his ear.

"Hello?" he said. There was dead silence on the other end. His eyes narrowed. "Who's there?" Again silence. "I know there's somebody there because I can hear you breathing." Nothing. He hung up too tired to play guessing games. A minute later the phone rang again. Exasperated this time, Hotch picked up the receiver. "What?" he hissed.

"Now Aaron, is that any way to speak to an old friend?" the voice said pleasantly.

"Who is this?" Hotch asked suddenly awake.

"I'm surprised you don't remember me, Aaron. We had such a fun time together. I never forgot you."

"Look, I don't have time to play guessing games with you whoever you are. So why don't you just tell me who you are and get it over with."

Hotch could hear chuckling on the other end. "Now Aaron, you will find out who I am all in good time I assure you. But just let me say this as I don't want to keep you as I'm sure you'd like to get some sleep. But your blood will soon ooze between my fingers while your life slowly drains from your body. I want to wash my hands in your blood, Aaron. But before you die a horrible and painful death, you will remember me and my name will be on your lips for all time. You will scream my name. Finally, Aaron, there is something outside your door meant just for you. But you needn't worry because it is not dangerous. Just a little reminder for you. We will meet soon. _VERY_ soon. Just remember, Aaron, I'm watching you." The call was disconnected. Hotch immediately dialed Garcia's number.

"Penelope Garcia, Queen of the all-knowing speaking. What can I as your humble servant do for you?" said a perky voice.

"Penelope, it's Hotch. I need a favor."

"Yes, sir. What do you need?" She was now all business.

"I just received a call here at the hotel in Alexandria and I need it traced. I'll hold while you check." After giving her the number, he could hear Penelope's fingers on her keyboard clicking away as he tried to regain his composure.

"Just give me a minute, Hotch. Are you okay, sir?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why? Don't I sound fine to you?"

"Frankly, sir…no you don't. You sound stressed. I have nothing, sir."

"Nothing? What do you mean nothing? How can you have nothing?"

"If whoever called you used a disposable cell there wouldn't be anything. I'm sorry, sir."

"No, no," Hotch replied, exasperated as he ran a hand over his dark hair. "Don't worry about it. I was just hoping you'd be able to trace it." Now he knew why the caller wasn't concerned about the call being traced.

"Hotch, is this call connected to who's after you? And please tell me the truth sir."

Hotch sighed. "I don't know, Garcia." He knew Penelope was sort of the mother hen of his team and worried about all of them as if they were her children and wouldn't hesitate to fight anyone tooth and nail who she believed was trying to hurt one of them. "And that's the truth."

"Yes, sir," Penelope said sadly. "Hotch, be careful. I want my boss-man to come back."

"I will." Hotch allowed a slight smile to appear. "And Garcia?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You're still my Queen of the all-knowing."

"Thank you, sir," Penelope replied with a slight smile on her still troubled face. She sighed as the call was disconnected.

Hanging up the phone, Hotch remembered the caller saying there was something outside his door for him. Snatching his Glock from its waist holster, Hotch cautiously approached his door, weapon aimed, and looked through the peephole before slowly opening the door looking right and then left. He saw nobody in either direction. With a sigh, he lowered his weapon and was about to turn when he saw an envelope taped to the outside of his door. Holstering his weapon, he quickly went back inside and grabbing his go-bag, pulled out a pair of latex gloves before opening the door again and removing the envelope. He then went back inside and closed the door. Looking over the envelope he noticed it was similar to the other; no return address, on either side. On the front, neatly typed was the familiar '_To Agent Aaron Hotchner'. _Hotch placed the envelope on the table in front of him, sat down on the sofa, grabbed the phone and dialed. He waited several minutes until he heard a sleepy yet gruff and familiar voice.

"Rossi."

"Dave, it's Hotch. Can you come to my room right away. And bring the others with you."

Rossi, wiping the sleep from his eyes was suddenly awake sensing something was very wrong. "Hotch, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just get the others and come as soon as you can. And bring a pair of gloves and a plastic bag with you to hopefully preserve any prints."

"We'll be right there."

Hanging up, Hotch studied the envelope, somewhat hesitant at first to open it. He slowly picked it up noticing it wasn't sealed but that the flap was tucked inside instead. _Nice way to avoid leaving saliva which could be used for a DNA check. _Opening it, he removed a single sheet of paper and unfolded it. The message was clear and chilling and in block letters.

'_You will pay for what you did to me, Aaron. Your time on this earth is limited. I hope you remembered to kiss your wife and son goodbye before they left because if you didn't, you've lost that chance as you won't live long enough to see them return. But I have no interest in your wife and son, Aaron. It is your blood I want to have run through my fingers, not theirs. Until we meet and we will meet and soon. **Very** soon, Aaron.'  
_

So absorbed in reading the letter Hotch jumped when the knock on his door was heard. Again removing his weapon from its holster, he left the letter on the table and slowly got up. Pointing his weapon at the door, Hotch quickly stepped to the door. "Who is it?" he asked nervously.

"Aaron? It's Dave. I have JJ, Reid, Emily and Morgan with me."

Hotch looked through the peephole before unlocking the door, and after allowing his team to enter the room, closed and locked the door. "It's on the table," he said motioning with his weapon to the letter before sticking the Glock back in its holster.

Rossi and Morgan both approached the table putting on their gloves. Rossi picked up the letter first and read the message. With narrowed eyes he looked at his Unit Chief. "Where'd you find this?" he asked handing it to Morgan.

"It was taped to the outside of my door," Hotch explained running a hand over his hair knowing he'd better start at the beginning. "I got a phone call from someone who wouldn't speak at first but I sensed someone was there on the other end. I hung up and then the phone rang again." Hotch then proceeded to repeat the one-sided conversation.

Morgan handed the letter off to Reid who had put on his gloves. JJ and Emily read the letter looking over his shoulders. "Did you contact Garcia?" Morgan asked. "Was she able to trace the call?"

"Yes I did and no she wasn't. He was possibly using a disposable cell," Hotch answered.

"Well, I guess we can rule out that our UnSub is delusional," Emily remarked.

"Not really," Reid said tucking the letter back inside its envelope. "I would say the UnSub has shown that the other attorneys were killed out of frustration at him not being able to get to Hotch, and now that he's found him he's definitely watching to make sure he keeps track of him. But he still manifests symptoms of being delusional because of a false belief in which despite evidence to the contrary, he believes Hotch is to blame for his situation. Also, he seems to show evidence of having an antisocial personality disorder."(1)

"And if he's following and watching you, then I'd say the best thing is to get you somewhere where he can't get to you," Morgan explained. "Because like it or not, man, you are this UnSub's target and have been from the beginning."

"In addition to that," Reid added. "Despite having a brother, he doesn't seem to have a close relationship with him as evident by him telling Hotch that he wants him to remember his name and him, not us or our name."

Hotch rubbed the back of his neck as he began pacing. "I am not going to hide in Quantico," he hissed. "We're here to do a job and assist the police in catching a serial killer and that's what we're going to do."

"Hotch…." Emily began, but her boss held up a hand stopping her mid-sentence.

"No. My decision is final. We will continue with this investigation as we normally would any other. Besides, maybe my being this UnSub's target might be a blessing."

"How do you see that?" asked JJ.

"If he's after me, then he might just get careless and try to get to me allowing us to catch him without anybody else being hurt."

"According to what we know so far I think our killer won't come after you unless he can get you alone somehow," said Reid. "He won't make a move on you in a crowd as it's not his style based on the other murders."

Rossi sighed knowing it would be impossible to change his friend's mind once it had been made up. "Aaron, listen to me. We need to get you someplace where you'll be safe from harm. If you won't allow us to protect you for our own reasons, then let us protect you for Haley and Jack. Haley needs you and Jack needs his father."

Hotch pursed his lips and shook his head. "Dave, that's not fair to bring Haley and Jack into this."

"Whoever said life was fair," Rossi stressed with hands on hips.

* * *

_He stood outside across the street from the hotel when Hotch and his team were staying. Down on one knee in the bushes, he lit a cigarette, inhaled, and exhaled the smoke through his nose. He was feeling very relaxed right now. He was glad he had purchased the_ _disposable phone earlier in the day as it came in handy and most importantly, it wasn't traceable. And he made sure nobody was around when he taped the envelope to the agent's door. He smirked as he puffed away. He didn't care anything about Hotchner's team or even his family. He had no intention of harming any of them, if at all possible. He only wanted one thing, and that was Aaron Hotchner. Nothing else mattered to him at all. He would pay for sending him to prison all those years ago. Sticking the cigarette between his lips, he reached inside his inner jacket pocket and removed a current wallet-size snapshot of the FBI profiler and chuckled as he stared at it. _

_Removing the cigarette from his lips he made a noise with his mouth. "I will have you in my grasp in another forty-eight to seventy-two hours, Aaron. And when I do, I'm going to rip you to shreds just so I can hear you scream before I end your miserable life. We shall see how much endurance you have and how much tolerance you have for pain before the end. And as I told you on the phone, you might not know my name now, but you will know it before you meet your maker. So enjoy what little time you have left, Aaron, because you're never gonna leave Alexandria alive."_

_

* * *

_

Rossi continued looking at his friend as he paced for a few minutes. Finally, Hotch looked at his friend. "I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't and won't run and hide. I suggest we all try and get some rest as we have a busy day tomorrow. I want what wasn't completed today to be completed tomorrow so we can give a profile by four p.m. tomorrow afternoon. I also request that when the profile is given, that my connection to the UnSub be kept out of it. This is strictly about the five murdered attorneys, not me. Is that understood?" He glanced at each member and when nobody offered a different opinion, he then glanced at Morgan. "Derek, I need you to be in charge until I get back from Quantico. I want our lab to check this letter and envelope for prints and DNA. Also, as only somebody of equal title can go into my office and through my desk, I want Rossi to come with me. Dave, we need to see if there's anything we can get off the first letter although I doubt it at this point."

Rossi shook his head grimly. "Aaron, you're too close and personally involved. Perhaps you should stay out of it. If you want, we can call another Unit Chief to go into your office and get that letter."

"Yes, I can make a call and have another Unit Chief go into my office, get the letter from my desk and take it to the lab. And I have no qualms about doing that and under different circumstances I would. But can I trust that person to not ask questions or report to Strauss when my prints are found on a letter that I supposedly haven't seen yet." He and Rossi looked into each other's eyes for a long few minutes. Finally, Rossi looked at his friend.

"You'd better get going, then," said JJ. "Perhaps you can beat the traffic back to Quantico." She watched as Rossi took the letter from Reid and slid it into a plastic bag for protection and put the bag into his inner jacket pocket. She then faced Hotch for what she hoped would not be the last time.

"As soon as we hear something we'll be in touch," Hotch told her hoping he sounded positive.

"You guys be careful," Emily told them nervously.

"Always am," Hotch replied with a forced smile. He tossed Rossi the keys to his SUV. "You drive. At least you've had some sleep," he kidded.

* * *

(1) Terms are from the Criminal Minds Fan site, courtesy of the Criminal Minds Psychology 101.


	6. Chapter 6Slim Leads, No Clues

**Chapter 6-Slim Lead, No Clues**

**"_We cannot banish dangers, but we can banish fears. We must not demean life by standing in awe of death." - David Sarnoff_**

The drive to Quantico was a silent one. Hotch stared out of the front passenger side window while Rossi drove. Even though he was pre-occupied, Hotch could feel his friend's eyes watching him.

"You all right?" asked Rossi, worried.

Hotch looked over at the older agent. He let out a deep breath. "As all right as one could be under the circumstances." He chose his next words carefully. "Oddly enough, Dave, I'm not afraid to die if my death results in the capture of our killer."

Rossi glanced at the Unit Chief. "You're not going to die, Aaron. We won't let you. You have too much to contribute to society and you have a young son who needs his father to teach him that there are good things in life as well."

"Haley can teach him that just as well as I can," Hotch said wearily.

"Perhaps. But a son still needs a father's guidance just as much as a mother's."

Hotch's eyes shifted to his friend's face. "Since when did you become a philosopher, Dave?" he asked with a tired grin on his face.

Rossi smirked. "I think it was right after my divorce."

"Which one?"

"I'm not sure. I think after each one."

Both men allowed themselves a chuckle. Rossi noticed it had been the first time Hotch had allowed himself a form of laughter since this case began.

"You know, we'll be in Quantico in a few minutes. Once we get there I suggest you retrieve that letter from your desk and we'll drop both of them off at the lab at the same time," Rossi advised. "Hopefully they'll be able to find something."

Hotch folded his arms as he leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. He could hope all he wanted that the lab would find something so this nightmare would end; but he had a gut feeling that wasn't going to happen.

* * *

_Following at a safe distance, he kept the black SUV in sight. He had rented a vehicle for a few days to be able to get around and to keep an eye on Agent Hotchner. He suspected the profiler would head back to Quantico with the letter he left taped to his door. He also knew the agent would be coming back to Alexandria as soon as he got the results of having a lab go over everything; unfortunately, they wouldn't find anything as he had worn latex gloves when touching the paper and envelopes. An amused smirk appeared as he continued driving. He thought about things up to this point. He had completed the final arrangements earlier in the day for where he would take the agent once he had him where he could punish him endlessly before he killed him. He had thought about possibly gunning the profiler down in the street but decided against it as he himself would probably die in a hail of bullets immediately following. Besides, shooting him would provide no real entertainment. He wanted him to know he was going to die and know he couldn't prevent it. There would be the fun and entertainment; watching Hotchner die slowly aware_ _it was happening. He wondered what it would feel like, knowing you were going to die and couldn't stop it? Also, he would be taunting the FBI as well; realizing they were suffering knowing one of their own was slowly dying and couldn't do anything to save him, not until it was too late anyway. _

_He noticed the FBI building looming in the distance. Only thing he had left to work out was how to lure Hotchner into his trap without the agent realizing it was a trap. He slowed down watching the SUV turn into the building's parking lot knowing at this hour it would look strange for him to be entering the FBI building when most of the offices inside were probably closed. He sat behind the wheel with a set of binoculars watching as the two agents got out of their vehicle and started toward the double doors. Putting the binoculars on the seat beside him, he decided his time could be better spent working out how to lure Hotch into his trap within the next seventy-two hours. He then made a casual U-turn and headed back in the direction he had just traveled. But there was one thing he didn't see._

"Did you see that?" Rossi asked Hotch as they watched the smaller vehicle driving off.

"Yeah," Hotch agreed as their eyes stared in the direction the other vehicle had taken knowing there was no way they could pursue the vehicle as it had stopped outside the FBI parking lot at a safe distance which told them it would be gone by the time they reached the spot where it had been. But they had still seen it in the lights of the well-lit area. "A late model dark Ford mustang follows us to the FBI building and once here suddenly turns and leaves."

"Almost as if the driver wanted to see where we were going before he left to go back where he came from and to make sure we saw him leave," Rossi surmised.

Rossi sighed wearily. "Hotch, I'm more positive than ever that our UnSub is following you around now that he's finally found you."

"Good," was all Hotch said as he opened one of the double doors. Rossi followed with a grim expression on his face.

"What makes you say good?" he asked as he pushed the button to the elevator and waited.

"Because as long as he's following me he's not killing another innocent person who resembles me," Hotch replied earnestly as there was a 'ping' followed by the opening of the elevator doors.

* * *

While their two fellow agents were back in Quantico, come morning, Prentiss, Reid, Morgan and JJ all met in the room JJ and Emily shared and ordered breakfast for each of them. None of them discussed the case while they waited for their orders to arrive, and only after the waiter had delivered their meals and left did the four agents while eating, discuss what they had to do.

"Okay," Morgan finally said as he took a bite of toast. "Reid and JJ will go check out the law firms of the deceased. Prentiss will finish checking out the families, and I'll question Brandon Cooper." The last name was said with a touch of anger,

JJ took a sip of her coffee. "Derek, are you going to question Brandon Cooper or beat his answers out of him?" She sensed her friend's slowly burning rage.

"If I have to," Morgan replied coldly. "If he's the one threatening Hotch I'll make sure he knows we're going to be watching every move he makes and that he won't get near Hotch. And I'll also make sure he tells his brother the same thing."

"Maybe I should go with you," Prentiss chimed in. "You need someone to remind you to watch your temper with this guy."

"What? You think I can't handle talking to Cooper?" Morgan asked leaning back in the chair with one arm draped over the back. There was a tense sound to his voice.

"That's not what I meant, Morgan, and you know it," Emily answered.

"Then what did you mean?"

Prentiss struggled to find the right words. "Look, I know you're upset about what's happening to Hotch; we all are. But we have to go about this the right way. Hotch would expect nothing less from any of us. He wouldn't want one of us turning vigilante just because someone is threatening him. Besides, we're not even sure Cooper's the UnSub much less his younger brother even though the brother right now seems a possibility."

Morgan's face softened as he leaned forward with forearms resting on his thighs with hands between his knees, rubbing his hands together. "I know you're right," he said softly. "It's just that it galls me that somebody would go after Hotch not only for putting them in prison years ago, but because Hotch did his job."

"It troubles us too," said JJ. "But we have to keep our cool here."

"I know. And I will," Morgan said more calmly now.

* * *

_It had come to him nearly an hour after he had left Quantico and returned back in Alexandria. He knew __**exactly**__ how he would lure Aaron Hotchner into his trap. He now had it all set. But he would wait until Hotchner returned to Alexandria before he put his plan into motion. He didn't mind the wait. Sitting in a booth in a diner with a nearly eaten sandwich and a partially-filled cup of coffee in front of him, he pulled out the photo of Hotchner and stared hard at it with a chuckle. Soon, he told himself, very soon now, Aaron. You are going to belong to me._

"Is that your brother, sir?" the waitress asked as she passed by with a glass pot of hot coffee. She stopped at his table on her way back to the counter. "He looks just like you."

The man looked up at her sadly. "No. But a lot of people have said we do. He was just someone I knew who died."

"I'm so sorry. It must be hard losing a twin. What was his name if you don't mind my asking?"

"I don't mind and he wasn't my brother. Just a guy I know. His name was Aaron. He was murdered by a kidnapper while working on a case."

"Really? Was he a police officer?"

"FBI really," the man answered. "I'm not at liberty to say what the case was about. But he was kidnapped by the killer he was looking for and murdered."

"How awful!" she explained. "Have they arrested anyone yet?"

The man sighed wearily. "Not yet. To be honest, I don't think they'll even find who did it." He checked his watch. "I have to go. Thank you very much for listening to me vent. By the way, what's your name?"

The waitress smiled and pointed to her name tag on which was printed the name: MARCY. "That's me. Marcy Copland. And your name?"

The man tossed a few bills on the table. "Shane Cooper. And this is for you, Marcy." He tucked a five dollar bill into her uniform pocket, nodded and smiled. He then walked out of the diner without looking back.

* * *

_He smiled as he headed down the street to his car after leaving the diner. He didn't care if anybody knew the name Shane Cooper because they would never find him; and by the time they did, it would be too late to save the FBI agent. Anyway, he really didn't care because as long as they didn't find out the truth he was safe. He unlocked the driver's side door, slid in behind the wheel and closed the door. He removed Hotch's photo again and stared at it intently._

"_It's all set, Aaron. I have everything ready for you now. All I need is for you to return here from Quantico and you will be mine. All I have to do is wait. And as I've waited all these years I can wait just a bit longer." He tucked the photo back in his pocket, turned the ignition key, and slowly pulled away from the curb. Waiting was not his best trait, never had been. So this time, he'd have to force himself to be patient. After all the months of planning and waiting, it wouldn't do now to lose control by rushing things. Nothing could be gained by rushing things. Besides, he wanted to savor the profiler's death, to enjoy it. And the only way to do that was not to rush._

* * *

Rossi and Hotchner sat in Hotch's office drinking coffee while waiting to hear from the lab hoping something would be found on one of the envelopes or letters; but no more than Hotch. He needed something to grab onto that would hopefully lead to the identity of his stalker. Getting up slowly, the agent walked over to the window and looked out as Quantico, Virginia started to awaken. Rossi's eyes watched him.

"You're going to drive yourself crazy, Aaron, if you don't relax," he said. "We asked the lab to rush it."

Hotch, turning slightly, looked over at the older man. "How can I relax? Haley and Jack will be back in ten days. What if we haven't caught this UnSub by then? Dave, I can't have my family walking back into this nightmare. I won't do it."

"You don't have to. You can just call Haley and have her extend her stay with her parents. You don't have to tell her why; just tell her you're out-of-town on a case and it'd be better if she and Jack stayed with her folks for a few extra days rather than come back to an empty house their first day back."

Hotch gave Rossi his best 'you've got to be kidding' look. The older agent shrugged his shoulders.

"It was just a thought," he added. It was then the phone on Hotch's desk rang; the two agents studied each other before Hotch walked back to his desk and picked up the receiver.

"Hotchner." He listened to what was being said by the caller. "You're sure? Did you run the tests a second time? No, no, it's all right. We were just hoping for something different. Thanks." He hung up and letting out a deep breath hung up before he looked at Rossi.

"That was the lab. They ran the tests twice. There was no DNA and no prints on either envelope or letter." He bowed and shook his head sadly.

"We didn't really expect there would be any, did we?"

"No. But I was somehow hoping this person would somehow slip up just one time and give us something to work with."

Getting to his feet, Rossi approached Hotch and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've caught guys with a lot less, my friend," he reminded the younger agent. "Believe me when I say once we put together a profile on this guy it'll be just a matter of time before we catch him." He saw Hotch look up at him. "And we will catch him."

There was a long moment of silence before Hotch spoke again. "Dave, I've never mentioned this to another person on the team; you're the first. I trust what I'm about to tell you will remain in this office?"

Rossi's eyes narrowed with concern. "What's wrong?" he asked gently.

"I think for the first time I'm scared. It's a strange feeling because I always preach to show no fear to an UnSub, and here I am feeling fear."

Rossi thought he understood. "Aaron, it's okay to feel fear in our business. And given what we do, I'd be surprised if you didn't feel anything. I believe by feeling something it keeps us from becoming too cocky in what we do. It makes us human."

Straightening up, Hotch ran a hand over his dark hair. "I guess we head back to Alexandria and re-join the team." He smiled grimly and headed out his office followed by Rossi. Reaching the elevator he pressed the down button. After a few minutes, the elevator doors slid open allowing the two agents to step inside. Rossi pressed the button for the lobby as the doors slid closed. Hotch glanced at Rossi who appeared to be calm although he knew inside the agent was a jumble of nerves, while he himself had a suspicion that things for him were going to end very badly.


	7. Chapter 7Meeting With An Enemy

**Chapter 7-Meeting With An Enemy**

Morgan was en-route to the law firm of Bradford and Hordford where Brandon Cooper was employed. He wanted to meet with the attorney on a neutral ground where the guy would not be able to try anything, and what better place than where he worked. Morgan promised himself he would try and control his temper with Cooper which was another reason he wanted to question him at work. He slowly pulled into the visitors' parking lot outside the small law firm and got out of the SUV. Looking around, he then walked into the building heading for the elevators. After pressing the button and while waiting for one to arrive, Morgan's cell rang. Looking at it he saw who was calling and answered the call.

"Hotch? Did the lab results show anything?"

"Nothing," Hotch replied. "Then again, I didn't really expect anything would be found. "Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm in the building where Bradford and Hordford are. Why?"

"I thought you, Reid and JJ were going to visit the law firms."

"That was before you and Rossi left for Quantico. After you both left we figured it would be better if Reid and JJ visited the law firms, Prentiss talked to the families of Atkins and Collins while I questioned Cooper."

"Okay. Listen, Rossi and I are in Alexandria now; wait for us. I want to be present when Brandon Cooper is questioned."

"You sure, Hotch? I mean, this guy's going to flip when he sees you after all this time."

"It doesn't matter and yes, I'm sure. All the more reason for me to be there."

"Okay, I'll wait in the lobby of the building for you."

"Fine. We should be there very soon." The call was disconnected.

Letting out a deep breath, Morgan pocketed the cell and walked back to where the entrance to the building was to wait for his boss. While he waited, he thought about what Garcia had told him about Cooper which wasn't much. He stood in front of the thick Plexiglas doors and watched the people coming and going into and out of the building where he was as he kept his eyes peeled for the SUV. He knew questioning Brandon Cooper was going to be difficult by itself, but once he learned that Hotch had been threatened would probably not even care. To Morgan, if Cooper turned out to be the UnSub he only hoped he could control his temper long enough to slap a pair of handcuffs on him and get him back to police headquarters. He would be damned if he was going to let this sleazebag do to his boss and friend what he may have done to the others. Morgan continued to wait with folded arms when he saw an SUV park behind his.

* * *

Brandon Cooper was about six feet tall and two hundred pounds with brown hair and eyes. He was also a powerfully-built individual unlike his younger brother Shane, and was five years older than his brother. But more importantly, he hated Aaron Hotchner since the profiler had been a prosecutor and made no bones about it.

He sat his briefcase down on his desk before sitting down. Sighing, he ran a hand over his brown hair. The last thing he needed was having to talk with the FBI about the murders of five attorneys first thing this morning, or any morning. He had been en-route to the office when he received a call on his cell phone from an Agent Morgan that he wanted to speak with him about the killings. Cooper told him he was en-route to the office and to come there. When he read about the murdered attorneys in the paper, he noticed from their photographs how much each man resembled Aaron Hotchner. That was a name he hadn't spoken or heard spoken in a long time but would never forget. He knew about Aaron Hotchner having left the District Attorney's office after Shane's case and joining the FBI. He wondered if Hotchner would accompany Morgan? If he did, Cooper would have a few choice words for the former prosecutor. But, all he could do now is wait and see.

* * *

"Hotch. Rossi," Morgan said holding the door open for the other profilers to enter. "You made good time getting here."

"Not much traffic this time of the morning anyway," Rossi added. "What floor is Bradford and Hordford on?"

"The seventh. Cooper is expecting me," Morgan said as he led the way to the bank of elevators and pressed the up button and waited. It was only a few minutes before one of the elevators opened and was empty. The agents stepped in and Rossi pushed the button for floor number seven; the ride up was silent with nobody uttering a word until the doors slid open when they had reached the seventh floor and the agents stepped out into a short hallway. Down the hall to the left was a set of double wooden doors with the name 'Bradford & Hordford' printed on it. The agents with Morgan leading, opened the door and walked in, coming soon to a desk behind which sat a young blond receptionist busy typing. The nameplate on the desk said: ROSLYN SHEPHARD. She paused and looked at the three men as each of them held up their FBI identification for her to see.

"I'm Agent Morgan," said Morgan. "These are Agents Hotchner and Rossi of the FBI. We're here to see Brandon Cooper. He's expecting us."

"One moment please," she said picking up the receiver and punched two digits. After a few short moments. "Yes, Mr. Cooper? There are three gentlemen here from the FBI asking to speak with you. They say you're expecting them. Yes, sir. Right away." She hung up the receiver and glanced up at the three agents. "He's waiting for you. Down the hall and turn left. Second door on the left."

"Thank you," Hotch replied. He could feel the secretary's eyes watching their receding backs. Reaching the appropriate office, Morgan knocked on the door, and opened it when he heard a voice on the other side telling him to come in. The three men walked in and immediately Cooper's eyes bore into Hotchner. Seeing the tension building, Morgan looked at the man seated at the desk.

"I'm Agent Morgan. We spoke on the phone. These are Agents Rossi and Hotch…"

"I _know_ who you are!" Cooper said testily, glaring hard at Hotchner who returned the stare with equal intensity. "I'll never forget your name and don't need to be introduced to you, _Agent _Hotchner_._"He glanced momentarily at Morgan and Rossi with a cool expression before again glaring at Hotchner. "Gentlemen, have a seat and let's get this over with. I have things to do." He waited as the agents sat down in the three vacant chairs facing his desk.

"How does it feel, Agent Hotchner?" asked Cooper once the men were seated.

"How does what feel?" Hotch asked crossing his legs. He continued with what was known as the 'Hotchner stare' by the others.

"To know you convicted an innocent man. My brother needed help, not prison."

"Your brother knew exactly what he was doing when he shot that police officer," Hotch explained. "He had been evaluated by at least two psychiatrists and deemed sane and knew right from wrong. Your brother was and is a sadistic killer without a conscience, but we are not here to discuss your brother."

Cooper jumped up to his feet, glaring at Hotch, his fists clenching and unclenching. But as he did so, Morgan got to his feet just as quickly, staring equally hard at Cooper.

"I suggest you sit down, Mr. Cooper," he said in a warning tone. He maintained eye contact with the attorney who looked at him and slowly sat back down, his eyes turning back to Hotchner. Morgan returned to his seat. "We have some questions regarding the murder of your former co-worker at Schonberg and Company, Ronald Brennaman."

"I had nothing to do with that," Cooper replied. "After I left from Schonberg and Company I never kept in touch with Ron or the company."

"We understand you resigned rather than be fired by them because of the sexual harassment of Mrs. Brennaman," Rossi said. Cooper didn't respond but momentarily glanced down at his hands.

"That was a mistake," he admitted not looking up. "I was sorry about that."

"Sorry for what you did or sorry you were caught?" Hotch asked. He saw Cooper look up at him warily. "I made a mistake. Haven't _you_ ever made a mistake Agent Hotchner?" Hotch didn't reply. "No, I guess you don't believe you have," he said sarcastically.

"Where were you the day Ron Brennaman was shot and killed?" asked Morgan.

"I was here in the office for an early morning meeting with my bosses about a case I'm assigned. You can check with anybody here. The meeting began at eight am and didn't end until around twelve noon. I then went to lunch until one pm after which I met with my client from one-thirty pm until 5pm. Then I went home."

"What about your brother, Shane?" asked Hotch.

"What about him?" asked Cooper.

"Have you heard from or seen him since he escaped from prison? Can _his _whereabouts be accounted for?" Hotch asked calmly.

Cooper's eyes darkened. "You leave Shane out of this! Besides, I haven't heard from him and don't know where he is and that's the truth. Besides, if Shane would go after anybody it would be you."

Rossi crossed his legs casually and folded his arms. A smirk appeared on his face. "Speaking of which, Mr. Cooper. Have either you or your brother that you know of sent Agent Hotchner any threatening letters or made any threatening phone calls of late?"

Cooper's face suddenly brightened and an amused grin appeared. "So, Agent Hotchner, somebody's threatening you? Well, don't ask me to feel sorry for you because I don't. And when I hear the good news I will buy myself a bottle of champagne to celebrate and invite that person to my house. Maybe then you'll learn not to screw around with an innocent person's life and believe you can get away with it even if you're no longer a prosecutor. I can't wait for somebody to knock that smug, arrogant expression off your face permanently."

"If I were you, Mr. Cooper," Rossi said in all seriousness. "I'd watch what I wish for. See, if anything happens to Agent Hotchner, you are going to be the first person we come and see. So if you're hiding your brother, or know where he is, I suggest you tell him what I just said."

"And believe me when I tell you, man, you won't like it if we have to come back here because something happened to Agent Hotchner," Morgan added.

"Must be hard knowing your brother's out there somewhere and avoids you like the plague because he wants nothing to do with you," Rossi said.

Cooper, stiffening at Rossi's words, leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "You can come back here in case that happens and I'll still say I have no sympathy about it." He checked his watch. "And now, gentlemen, unless you have more questions, I must ask you to leave because I have a meeting to attend regarding a client."

Morgan, Rossi and Hotchner all got to their feet. As Morgan and Rossi headed to the door, Hotch paused and looked at Cooper again.

"Mr. Cooper, a word of advice…" Hotch began. "If you know where your brother is or you hear from him, I strongly advise you to convince him to turn himself in before the police find him, because I can assure you your brother right now is the prime suspect in these murders."

Cooper got to his feet slowly and leaned forward with palms down on his desk. "And why should I do that? So you can frame him for threatening your life? Not a chance."

Hotch's face was unreadable. "No. To save his life." He turned and walked towards the door.

"Wait a minute," Cooper responded. "What _exactly_ are you trying to say, Agent Hotchner? Is this one of your profiler tactics?"

Standing beside Rossi and Morgan, Hotch looked back at the lawyer. "No. Despite what you may think of me, Mr. Cooper, I prosecuted your brother honestly because the evidence showed he was guilty. When I said you should convince him to turn himself in, I say that because right now he's suspected of five murders and the police are looking for him for that in addition to escaping from prison. As he was convicted by a jury for willfully, deliberately and with premeditation, murdering two people during the commission of a robbery, one of which was a police officer, he was fortunate he was given a life sentence without parole instead of the death penalty he deserved. But should anything happen to me I can assure you your brother _will_ receive the death penalty."(1)

Cooper's face darkened. "You arrogant bastard!" he said but didn't move from behind his desk.

"Just think about it," Hotch advised as he, Rossi and Morgan walked out of the office with Morgan closing the door behind them.

* * *

_He watched as the three FBI agents left the building and got into their SUV with the negro agent sliding behind the wheel; Hotchner and the older agent in the back seat. He sat in his own vehicle watching, waiting for them to pull away and leave so he could follow. He knew Aaron would be back soon and he was right. As the SUV pulled away from the curb he did as well and kept one car length behind them. He was glad he had rented a different car from the one he had used when he followed Hotchner to Quantico. It wouldn't do for him to be spotted now before he put his plan in action tomorrow. The very thought of it made him smile._

_Tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow he would have Aaron Hotchner in his clutches and nobody would know where he was until it was too late to save the agent. He was almost giddy with excitement. He decided it was time to rattle Hotch's cage again, so he turned on the disposable cell, pressed the necessary buttons, and waited as the phone on the other end rang._

Hotch reached into his inside jacket pocket and grabbed his cell checking to see who was calling. He was surprised when the caller ID reflected no phone number. He looked over at Rossi. "I think it's our friend," he said. He saw Rossi look at him, worried while Morgan glanced over his shoulder at his boss. Hotch continued staring at the ringing phone in his hands.

"Want me to answer it?" Rossi asked.

Letting out a deep breath, Hotch answered the phone and put the call on speaker. "Hotchner."

"Hello Aaron," a calm voice said. "Glad you decided to return to Alexandria. Although I must admit I thought you might stay in Quantico a bit longer."

Hotch's eyes narrowed. "Look, I don't know who you are or what game you're playing, but it stops right here and right now."

"Why, Aaron. You are rather testy at the moment. Must be from visiting your friend Brandon Cooper. Tell me, Aaron; was he as pleased to see you as you were to see him?"

Hotch's lips formed a straight line as his face darkened. "Look, I'm not about to tell you anything. If you've got something to say to me than I suggest you say it and stop with your childish games. And if you _don't_ have anything to say then I'm disconnecting this call."

There was a long pause on the other end. Finally, as Hotch was about to disconnect the call the caller spoke. "Very well. Since you're in such a bad mood I'll keep it short. "I'm watching you always. Wherever you are, wherever you go, I will be right behind you. You can't escape from me before it's time for us to meet. Everywhere you are I will be right there and you'll never know when or where I will strike. You're going to pay for what you did to me, Aaron. If you believe nothing else believe that. The clock is ticking so I suggest you start putting your affairs in order. Your time is getting rapidly shorter."

"We're going to find you, you bastard!" Morgan hissed. "So if anybody's time is getting shorter it's yours."

"Ah yes, that must be Agent Morgan who is in such a huff at the moment. I will overlook your outburst and chalk it up to worry about your boss."

Morgan glanced again over his shoulder at Hotch and Rossi.

"Just what kind of sick, twisted game are you playing?" Rossi stormed angrily. "If you think…."

"I suggest, Agent Rossi, that you control yourself or when I have Agent Hotchner he will be punished for your rudeness. So _don't_ push me!" the voice said trying to remain calm but there was a noticeable change in his voice now. Rossi decided to try a different tact.

"I apologize for raising my voice. It won't happen again. It's just that I'm very worried about Agent Hotchner. Surely you can understand that?"

"Of course. That's why I'm letting your outburst slide this time. But enough idle chit-chat. Agent Hotchner, as I suggested, you should get your affairs in order because you will soon be joining the rest of us who are dead." The call then was disconnected.

Morgan looked over his shoulder at Hotch. "What did he just say? Something about you joining the rest of us who are dead?"

Rossi and Hotch looked at each other as Hotch dialed Garcia's phone number. The phone was still on speaker.

Penelope spun around in her chair and faced her computers. She activated her headset. "Talk dirty to me, my chocolate God of Sexiness." Hotch and Rossi looked at each other again while Morgan looked like he wanted to hide.

"Penelope, it's Hotch."

"I apologize, sir. I thought I was speaking to my chocolate God of Sexiness. I mean, I didn't know it was only you. I mean, not that you aren't sexy, sir, it's just that I thought…."

"Garcia, it's okay and stop babbling. You sound like Reid."

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?"

"I just received phone call on my cell and I need you to trace it if you can."

Penelope could be heard clicking away on her computer keyboard. "Just hang on one moment, sir." She was ready to die from embarrassment as this was the second time she had mistook her boss's call for Morgan's. She'd have to be more careful next time. "Nothing, sir."

"Nothing, Garcia?" asked Rossi. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, sir. Has to be a disposable phone again." She could hear Rossi utter '_damn_' in a low voice.

"Hotch?" Garcia said in a small voice.

"Yes, Garcia?" her boss replied wearily.

"I apologize again, sir. It won't happen again."

"Forget it, and thanks, Garcia." Hotch disconnected the call and looked at the back of Morgan's head. "Morgan, I think we really need to keep you and Garcia off the phone with each other."

Morgan could only hide the smirk on his face.

* * *

(1) Virginia does have the death penalty and according to responses I received both from the forum and from the person who is reviewing my story for correctness, the penalty for premeditation in the murder of a federal agent is the death penalty. I discovered in my research that first degree murder involving a police officer is the willful, deliberate, malicious, and premeditated murder of a law enforcement officer during the commission of a robbery or attempted robbery. However, I also discovered that life without parole is an option.


	8. Chapter 8Taken By an UnSub

**Chapter 8-Taken By an UnSub**

Hotch and his team gathered together back in the conference room of the Alexandria, Virginia police Department nearly at three p.m. Hotch, Rossi and Morgan upon entering the room discovered they were the last to appear as the others were waiting for them. There was an evidence board in the room with the pictures of each of the deceased attorneys posted along with a photos of Shane and Brandon Cooper. Hotch found his eyes drawn to the two photos of the Cooper brothers. And as much as he disliked both of them, his gut told him Brandon Cooper was not their UnSub but was the perfect example of a narcissistic personality. He sat down at the table with the others.

"Okay, what have we got?" he asked looking at Reid and JJ expectantly. The blond got to her feet and approached the evidence board.

"Reid and I went to each of the victims places of employment and unfortunately didn't find out very much." She first pointed to Brennaman's photo. "According to Brennaman's employer, he was recently assigned to represent a David Scherer on an assault charge. Apparently Scherer was charged with DWI and leaving the scene of an accident ten days ago, and Brennaman was to defend him in court. We spoke to Brennaman's boss, Cyrus Vander, who told us that Mr. Scherer had met with Brennaman several times and apparently had been very pleased with the job the attorney was doing so far."

Reid, seated beside Prentiss, leaned back in his chair looking over his shoulder at his boss. "We then spoke with Scherer at his home and he gave every indication that he was very pleased with his legal representation and was genuinely concerned about what was going to happen now that Brennaman was dead. He was quite upset in fact."

Rossi, who stood behind Hotchner's chair folded his arms. "You believe him?" he asked both of them.

"Without a doubt," JJ responded. She then pointed to Atkins' photo. "We then spoke with Atkins boss, Susan Tolima, who said Atkins had just been assigned to handle a large estate totaling half-a-million dollars but hadn't really done anything yet because he had only been assigned the case for a few days."

"What about his previous case?" asked Hotch.

Reid looked in his direction. "According to Ms Tolima, Atkins previous case was an estate of over one million dollars which was successfully resolved with the firm receiving a hefty percentage. Nobody had any problems with the resolution of the estate."

"That's a lot of money and you're telling me nobody was upset about anything?" asked Morgan. "With that kind of bread, somebody had to be upset about something."

Reid looked at his notes. "It was the estate of Connor Lehmann. He was vice-president of a textile company for over twenty-five years and had a wife and two children, a son and a daughter. He died of a massive stroke while in his backyard one day. But he had had a previous stroke a few years earlier which, after his second stroke a year ago, he retired."

"Did you speak with the family?" asked Prentiss, interested.

"Yes we did," JJ said. "Apparently from what his widow Clarice and his two children, Damian and Christina said, they were all one big, happy family with no problems financial or otherwise. We then spoke with a few of the neighbors who corroborated what we had been told."

"In fact," Reid chimed in. "The estate was equally distributed among the wife and kids with a sizable amount for his parents and other relatives."

Letting out a deep breath, Rossi turned and took a few steps until he was against Hotch's chair.

Reid again referred to his notes. "Uh, we then visited the employer of Andrew Bellamy. Nothing worthwhile there."

"What do you mean by nothing worthwhile?" asked Prentiss.

"What I mean is that he had only been assigned to handle a malpractice case involving a Doctor by the name of David McKay, a surgeon, who if a woman required a mastectomy, was the man who performed it. According to hospital records he had a perfect success rate until a year ago when he removed a healthy breast of a woman during surgery leaving the cancerous breast. Once it was discovered, the woman involved and her husband filed suit against Doctor McKay and the hospital for ten million dollars in damages. The hospital requested to remain unnamed in the suit hoping to distance themselves from McKay."

"Who's the defendant?" asked Hotch.

"A Valerie Tompkins and her husband Richard."

"What's the status of the suit?" Hotch folded his arms casually.

"According to Bellamy's employer, Bellamy hadn't really gotten much done on the case," Reid explained. "He had just begun his investigation when he was killed. But Bellamy's boss told me that the hospital is cooperating fully and claims the entire error was Dr. McKay's fault while they did nothing wrong." As if sensing Hotch's next question, Reid looked at his boss sadly. "I spoke with the Tompkins' attorney, a uh, Martin Basham. He said as far as he knew the hospital was trying to get out of their responsibility in the entire matter. He uh, he also told me something else." Reid hung his head and shook it.

"What was it?" asked Rossi looking at the young agent. Reid didn't answer. He just swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Reid?" asked Hotch, concerned.

The young agent looked up. "Basham told me that the error with the surgery had been discovered the next day. The new surgery was performed and the remaining breast was removed. But since that time the cancer has come back and spread to other organs and she now only has about six months to live. He said when the time comes he will probably be adding criminally negligent homicide to the list of charges against both the hospital and Dr. McKay because he believes if the right breast had been removed the first time, her prognosis would have been good."

Hotch massaged his forehead with one hand while Rossi let out a deep breath and began to pace slowly.

"Damn," Rossi said softly.

"What about Collins and Morrissey?" Hotch asked suddenly very weary.

"Collins just completed a case involving the divorce of Clarence and Alma Jenkins," said JJ. "In fact, the day he was killed he was suppose to meet with Alma Jenkins and discuss what she considered reasonable amounts for alimony and child support as the Jenkins' had an eight-month old daughter and a seven year old daughter and custody arrangements. In fact, Collins was leaving his home to meet with Alma Jenkins but never got there."

"And Morrissey was just assigned a corporate account according to his employer. He never even started working on it when he was killed outside his office," Reid said. "Like Collins, he was scheduled to meet with the officers of the company whose case he had been given. According to his bosses, Morrissey had a very high success rate with his cases."

"Good work," Hotch told JJ and Reid. Then, he looked at Prentiss. "Did you get a chance to speak with the families of Atkins and Collins?"

Emily leaned forward and clasped her hands on top of the round table. "Okay, I spoke with Bobbi and Martin Atkins, the parents of Culver Atkins. According to both of them, he was a loving, caring young man who never offended anyone. Was friendly with everybody he met and was well respected by those he met. Also, his abilities as an estate attorney were beyond reproach. They knew of no threats by any of his past or present clients. He and his fiancée were very much in love and were planning a spring wedding for the following year."

"Did they know if anybody ever threatened him?" Hotch asked.

"No. As far as they knew, everything was fine with their son. If there were other threats, Hotch, he kept it from everyone who mattered to him."

"What about Collins and Bellamy?"

Prentiss let out a deep breath. "I still haven't been able to reach Bellamy's parents but I did hear from his ex. She's now living in Fort Worth, Texas and has been since the divorce. She's had no contact with Bellamy since the divorce, and said that was because they had nothing to discuss. As far as Collins is concerned, I spoke with his parents by phone because they left to visit with their ex daughter-in-law who they're still very close to. They aren't due back until next week."

"We know the UnSub's signature seems to have changed just a bit," Hotch stated matter-of-factly. "Three of the five victims he approached when he killed them, and the other two he didn't. I'd say he prefers his victims seeing who he is before he kills them."

Rossi nodded slightly. "That could explain why he's been contacting you by mail and phone, Aaron. He wants you to know who he is before he tries to kill you."

Hotch looked up at the older profiler without saying anything. Rossi could see the fear in his friend's eyes that he knew Hotch would never want the others to know so the older profiler remained silent. He simply rested a hand on the younger man's shoulder and squeezed.

"You know," Reid interjected. "He could also be deriving some sort of sexual pleasure from these killings by the pain he inflicts on others."

Emily stared at the young agent. "So you're saying on top of everything else, he's a sadist as well?"

Reid mulled over Prentiss's question carefully. "Exactly."

"So are we saying he's impotent as well?" JJ asked.

"Possibly," was all Red could say.

"How did you guys make out with Cooper?" asked Prentiss hoping to break the tension.

Morgan decided to field the question. "He's the classic example of a narcissistic personality. No empathy for anybody. Says he hasn't heard or seen his brother at all. Plus, when we asked him about the threats made to Hotch, he says should something happen to Hotch, he'll buy whoever it is a bottle of champagne to celebrate." He noticed the disgusted looks on the faces of JJ, Prentiss and Reid who, in turn, looked at their Unit Chief. Hotch appeared lost in thought and wasn't aware at first that his team was watching him. Finally, he felt their eyes on him and looked up at four pairs of concerned eyes.

"What?" he asked, puzzled.

"Are you going to tell them or should I?" asked Morgan staring at his boss. Hotch gave him a warning look indicating he had no intention of telling the rest of the team anything. After a few minutes Morgan looked at the others.

"Tell us what?" asked JJ, confused.

"While we had left Cooper's job, Hotch got a phone call threatening him. The caller suggested he should get his affairs in order because it won't be long now."

JJ, Reid and Prentiss stared hard at their Unit Chief with alarm. "Was Garcia able to trace the call?" Reid asked.

"No. Disposable cell," Rossi chimed in sadly.

"What did the lab have to say about the envelopes and the letters?" asked JJ tossing a strand of her long blond hair over her shoulder. "Did they find any prints or DNA at all?"

"Nothing," Rossi added. "Only prints on both were Hotch's and no DNA at all."

Prentiss sighed as she studied her boss. "Hotch, I'm sure I speak for the others that I think it's time for you to back out of this case and return to Quantico, or stay here where you can be protected, or at least have someone with you at all times until this UnSub is caught."

Hotch shook his head. "I am saying this for the last time. I will not hide out here or in Quantico and I do not need a babysitter. I hope I've made myself clear finally?" He looked at his team individually and nobody said anything. "Good. Then I trust this is the last time we will have this discussion." He checked his watch and saw they still had time. "Okay, let's go over the victimology of each of the victims and then give our profile."

* * *

Hotchner, his arms folded, stood beside Reid, Rossi, Morgan and Prentiss facing the group of cops who sat staring at the profilers.

Hotch's eyes scanned the small group of people in the conference room. "What we'll be giving you is what is called a preliminary profile which means the profile we're about to give is subject to change based on new information," he began. For a brief moment he looked down at the floor before looking up at the patiently waiting group. "Our UnSub is a white male between thirty and forty years of age, and in good physical condition. He will have at least one family member who is older than he is but to whom he feels no connection to because he is unable to relate to family members."

"He will also be suffering from antisocial personality disorder in which a person will have a pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others," Reid continued. "This disorder also closely is linked to adult criminal behavior. He will also display characteristics of an adult schizoid personality disorder which is when a person avoids social relationships and shows little expression of emotion. In addition, a person with a schizoid personality will not have close ties with others because they prefer to be alone"

Prentiss added. "The UnSub may also suffer from a narcissistic personality disorder in which he seeks admiration and has a desire for admiration, and has a lack of empathy for anybody. He will also think he's smarter than everybody else and that includes the police and the FBI."

"And because of his antisocial and schizoid behaviors…" explained Rossi who was seated on the edge of a desk. "…he is unable to hold a job because he cannot relate to others around him. However, because he has a narcissistic personality he will seek admiration from others in criminal activities where he can show the authorities he is smarter than they are."

Hotch slowly walked across the floor to near where Rossi sat with folded arms. "It's sort of a 'look how smart I am' mentality," he concluded. "And because of his blatant disregard for others, he will kill anybody he decides needs to be killed. Are there any questions?" Hotch saw a woman sitting in the back, wearing a police officer's uniform, raise her hand. "Yes?"

"Agent Hotchner, perhaps you can explain why the victims all bear a resemblance to you? I mean they all have the same hair and eye coloring, same build, same height."

Hotch's body stiffened just a bit at the question and he knew his team had caught it. But he quickly responded. "All I can say is that it is simply a coincidence that the victims bear a resemblance to me and nothing more. During the course of our investigation there is nothing that connects me to these crimes in any way, and please remember, this is about the victims and not a member of the FBI. Thank you for coming." He turned away before another question could be asked letting Reid, Morgan and Prentiss field any other questions. All Hotch wanted to do right now was get away from these people before being forced to answer a lot of questions regarding his resemblance to the murder victims. He knew it was a possibility it would come up, but he really didn't want the spotlight on himself in any shape, manner or form. He noticed Rossi had followed him out of the room. Now back in the room adjacent to the conference room, Hotch leaned forward and placed his hands, palms down, on the table. Rossi put a hand on his shoulder.

"You know you just told them a little white lie," Rossi stated.

"I know," Hotch replied looking up with his back still to the older profiler. "But it was necessary. I can't keep saying it. The emphasis should be on the victims. Make sure JJ releases the profile to the media and make sure she leaves my name out of it." His eyes suddenly narrowed as an idea came to him. "Maybe we can use this UnSub's obsession with me to catch him." He suddenly straightened up and turned toward Rossi.

"What are you getting at?"

"If he wants me, let's make it easy for him. I say use me as bait to lure him out into the open."

"Absolutely not. It's too dangerous," Rossi told him. "One mistake and you could be dead." As he spoke, Reid, Prentiss, and Morgan entered the room. It was obvious from their faces they had heard at least part of the conversation.

"Not if we do it right," Hotch explained. He paused when his cell rang. Taking it out of his jacket he noticed who was calling and answered it. "Mrs. Brennaman, this is Agent Hotchner."

"Agent Hotchner, I'm sorry to bother you, and I hope I haven't caught you at a bad time?" asked Gillian Brennaman.

"No, no. It's fine. What can I do for you?" Hotch sensed the woman's voice sounded odd, strained almost.

"Well, you asked me if I could think of anything that might help I should let you know."

"And have you?"

There was a pause. "I was going through some of Ron's things and I found something I think you should see."

"What is it?" he asked looking at his team, concerned.

"I don't want to discuss it over the phone. I don't think I could anyway. You really need to see it for yourself."

Hotch sighed. "All right. I'll be there as soon as possible." He disconnected the call and slowly put his phone in his pocket. "Gillian Brennaman found something in her late husband's belongings and wants me to come to her home to look at it."

Morgan folded his arms and struck a defensive pose. "No way, man," he said. "You're not going out there alone."

"Morgan, we have been through this…."

"You have a choice, Hotch," said Morgan, refusing to back down. "We can either follow you to the Brennaman house and back; or Rossi and I can ride with you in your SUV. Those are the choices. Pick one."

"I have a third option," Hotch offered. "How about I go alone and phone you when I get there and when I leave. If our friend's following me, he won't make a move if he sees agents everywhere."

Rossi, JJ, Prentiss and Morgan all exchanged looks but Morgan wasn't backing down. "Not an option," he said.

Hotch looked at Rossi for some kind of support but instantly realized he wasn't going to get it. Finally, with an exasperated sigh, the agent relented. "Fine," he said. "You two can come along. But when we arrive I will go inside alone and speak with Gillian Brennaman. Understand?"

"Fine," Morgan replied somewhat relieved his boss had come to his senses. "Let's go then."

* * *

Gillian Brennaman slowly hung up her phone as the pistol pressed against her head could be felt a little more.

"Very good. You follow orders very well," he said. "Now, when Agent Hotchner gets here, you know what I want you to do."

Gillian felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. "What are you going to do to him?" she stammered.

The man ran his weapon down the side of her head gently as if caressing her face. "That's none of your concern. You just do what I tell you and you might just live to see your children again. Understand?"

"Yes. You aren't going to kill him are you?"

The man smiled while maintaining a hold on her arm. "Why? You like him? Sort of reminds you of Ron? Well then, you have a choice: Either your children or Agent Hotchner. You decide who lives and who dies."

"Please. Please don't do this!" Gillian found herself pleading both for her children and Aaron Hotchner.

"I _said _pick one! Who lives and who dies?"

Gillian squeezed her eyes tightly shut. "Please don't hurt my children," she begged.

The man nuzzled her neck. "See how easy that was? I knew you'd make the right choice."

Meanwhile, Hotch parked the SUV at the curb and after turning off the engine, gave a look to Rossi and Morgan. He didn't like his team treating him as if he needed protecting but then again, he was quite touched by their devotion to him. They were a good group; the best the Bureau had as far as he was concerned. And he knew they would willingly lay down their lives for each other including him.

"I don't think this will take long, so I should be back in a few minutes." He exited the vehicle and under the watchful eyes of his friends, walked toward the Brennaman home. After a few minutes he rang the doorbell and waited; Gillian answered.

* * *

"Agent Hotchner, thank you for coming so quickly," she said with what Hotch noticed seemed like a forced smile on her face. Also, her eyes were red.

"No problem," he replied as he walked past her and into the house. "Mrs. Brennaman, is everything all right? You seem very tense right now."

Gillian feigned a slight smile. "It's been a bad day today, that's all. As soon as you catch the bastard who killed Ron I'll feel better." She led the way into the kitchen with Hotch following.

"It'll be soon, I promise you." he sighed wearily. "Now what is it you have to show me?"

Gillian sat two coffee mugs in front of her on the counter; one for herself and one for Hotch. As she struggled to maintain her composure, she picked up the coffee pot. Her hand shook badly as she poured coffee into each. "It's, it's in the bedroom. Have a seat and some coffee. I just made it so it's fresh."

"I don't really want any, thank you." Hotch noticed Gillian cover her mouth with one hand muffling her sobs. "On second thought, perhaps I will while you get whatever it is you want to show me."

Gillian forced herself to stand up straight. "How do you take it?"

"Cream and sugar, please."

"Just like I do," she replied forcing a smile to her face.

Gillian prepared the coffee while Hotch took a seat at the kitchen table. She then placed one mug in front of him and took a sip of hers while watching him, waiting. When he didn't touch the coffee she nervously chewed her lower lip. "I'll be right back after I retrieve what I found upstairs. Please sit and enjoy your coffee. There's more if you want it." She then put her mug down and left the kitchen heading towards the stairs that led to the bedroom.

Moments after she had left, Hotch looked into the coffee cup at its contents and thinking; wondering why Gillian was acting so oddly. Every fiber of his being told him something was very wrong here but wasn't sure exactly what. His profiler sense told him there was something about the coffee she was so eager to serve him. Perhaps it had been drugged? Hearing footsteps approaching he quickly switched cups with the one Gillian had taken a sip from as she took hers the same way as he did. He then sat the mug in front of him and stood up, deciding to confront her with his suspicions and hopefully fool her. He paused when he saw Mrs. Brennaman standing in the entrance to the kitchen, but that wasn't what made him pause. Just behind her and holding her arm tightly with a pistol pressed against her head, was someone Hotch believed could have been a twin for him. Gillian was struggling to control her emotions, but she was failing miserably.

"Let her go," Hotch ordered calmly. He knew it would be useless at this point to try for his gun without getting Gillian killed, but figured if he could stall long enough, Rossi and Morgan would become suspicious and come inside.

The man chuckled as he tightened his grip on Gillian's arm causing her to cry out. "It seems right now I hold all the cards, Aaron. You don't mind if I call you Aaron, do you? I like being on a first name basis with the man I intend to kill."

"Look, this is between you and me. She has nothing to do with this. Just let her go and we can talk about it. It's me you're after."

"Talk? I don't think so." He saw the coffee cup. "You're not being a gracious guest, Aaron. Your host served you coffee and you haven't touched it. I must insist you drink it."

"Why?" Hotch asked with narrowed eyes. He knew his suspicions about the coffee had been confirmed.

The man let out a deep breath and forced Gillian to her knees as he knelt on one knee behind her, making sure he kept her in front of him. Hotch heard the safety removed. "You will drink the coffee or I will see that this lady's children become orphans and kill you before those agents who came with you get inside. You have one minute."

Hotch's eyes shifted to Gillian who looked apologetically at Hotch. Then slowly, the agent picked up the coffee cup and took a drink of the still warm brew. He was about to sit the cup down again when the pistol was pressed against Gillian's temple.

"All of it," the man said. He watched at Hotch, for now doing as he was told, finished the coffee.

Almost immediately he began to feel strange; almost lightheaded. He massaged his forehead as his head began to pound. It was then a wave of dizziness overcame him. He glanced at the empty mug curiously. As he tried to move, he found he had to grab onto the edge of the table for support. He heard a voice speaking to him as his head swam; but the voice sounded muffled, as if far away. Hotch found his legs wouldn't support him and everything was spinning wildly.

"I'm sorry, Agent Hotchner," another voice said from somewhere close by. Hotch fought to see who had spoken but his vision was becoming fuzzy and he couldn't seem to focus.

"What? I didn't…I can't…" The last thing Hotch recalled as his knees buckled and he started falling to the floor was hearing someone chuckling before his entire world faded into darkness.


	9. Chapter 9Missing

**Chapter 9-Missing**

Rossi and Morgan sat in the back seat of the SUV waiting nervously. Morgan checked his watch for the umpteenth time then went back to looking out the window closely at the goings on across the street despite there being nothing happening. He figured with he and Rossi watching both sides of the street, if the UnSub tried to get to Hotch they would be ready.

"He's been in there ten minutes at least. How much longer are we gonna wait before we go check on him?" Morgan said still looking out the window.

"We'll give him another five minutes before we go in." Rossi folded his arms but kept his eyes on the front entrance as if trying to will his boss and close friend to appear. Until he actually saw Hotch appear he would be worried.

Time seemed to drag on and on for the two agents who were slowly became more and more worried about their boss. Rossi checked his watch and glanced at Morgan.

"Time's up. Let's go," he said as he and Morgan climbed out of their vehicle and made their way to the front door of the Brennaman house. Rossi knocked on the front door and waited. There was no answer. He knocked again only louder this time. "Mrs. Brennaman?" Again there was no answer. Glancing at Morgan the two agents drew their weapons before Rossi, gripping the doorknob, opened the door and slowly stepped inside. Once inside, he and Morgan saw nobody.

"FBI! Anybody here?" Rossi shouted as the two agents looked around. Silence.

"Hotch?" Morgan called out. Again silence.

A glance told each man something was horribly wrong. Seeing nobody in the living room, the agents split up with Morgan heading towards the kitchen with Rossi heading in another direction. "FBI! Show yourself!" Morgan shouted.

Rossi was glancing behind the shower curtain in the downstairs bathroom when a shout from Morgan caused him to head at a quickened pace towards the kitchen. Rossi found Morgan kneeling besides a female lying on the floor, unconscious. The kitchen door wide open. Glancing at the agent, Morgan looked up.

"She's alive but looks like she's been struck on the head with something," Morgan announced. He dug his cell out of his pocket and immediately called for an ambulance. He looked up. "Any sign of Hotch?"

Shaking his head, Rossi looked around the brightly decorated kitchen when two things on the table caught his eye.

There were two coffee mugs, one empty the other one seemingly barely touched. There was a Glock 17 and a Glock 26 sitting on top of a slip of paper. Rossi immediately recognized them as Hotch's weapons. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a pair of latex gloves so he could pick up the paper. What he read chilled him to his very core.

'_He won't need these. He is now mine! I only hope he put his affairs in order because the next time you see Agent Hotchner his remains will be all there will be_. _I will be contacting you soon. I won't say don't try and find us because I know you will. Very well, have a good time searching. I will enjoy watching you search never knowing when his remains will be found.' _It was signed with the words 'The Undead.' Morgan looked over his shoulder and read the letter.

"He's got Hotch," Rossi said handing the letter to Morgan. "These are Aaron's weapons. I've seen them often enough to recognize them." He then picked up the empty coffee mug. He noticed what looked like a white substance in the bottom of the mug. He sniffed it.

"Found something?" asked Morgan putting the paper back on the table.

"I pray to God I'm wrong, but I don't think so," Rossi said. "It's possible Hotch was drugged to make him manageable for the UnSub. He relieves Aaron of his weapons and knocks out Mrs. Brennaman, writes the note and then leaves taking Hotch with him. It also looks from these marks on the floor that somebody was dragged out the kitchen door which is why we didn't see anything from where we were parked. There was a groan from the woman on the floor causing Morgan to return to her side and kneel down.

Rossi pulled out his cell phone. "This is Agent Rossi with the FBI. We need an ambulance at this address…" after giving them the address, then made another call. "Emily, its Rossi. Morgan and I are still at the Brennaman house. She's been attacked and Hotch is missing. I'm not sure, but I think our UnSub may have been here when we arrived and was laying in wait. I need a crime scene unit out here asap. Also, get the team together and get here quick." He stuck the phone back in his pocket and turned hearing the moan again. Gillian Brennaman was trying to sit up while Morgan was trying to get her to lay down.

"I'm all right," she said struggling into a sitting position. "Help me get up, please." Morgan, though reluctantly, gripped her arm with one hand and put his other arm around her waist and helped her to her feet. He then led her to a chair which Rossi pulled out for her. She winced when she touched the back of her head and saw blood on her fingers.

"Mrs. Brennaman, I hope you remember me." Rossi knelt down in front of the woman. "I was here before with Agent Hotchner. I need you to answer a few questions if you're up to it."

"It's about Agent Hotchner, isn't it?" she asked as the sound of an ambulance could be heard approaching. A few minutes later, two EMTs entered through the living room door and walked into the kitchen. Morgan explained that the woman had been struck on the head with a hard object and suffered at least a head injury. The EMTs immediately began their examination. Meanwhile, Gillian kept her wet, red eyes on Rossi.

"I couldn't help it," she said, a tremble in her voice. "He was here when you came. He wanted me put a sleeping pill in my own coffee but wouldn't tell me why." She cupped a hand over her mouth and choked back a sob and then winced when one of the EMTs touched her head. "He then wanted Agent Hotchner to drink his own coffee which I couldn't understand. I mean, mine was the one that was drugged. Agent Hotchner refused to drink it…but then, he held a gun to my head and told Agent Hotchner if he didn't drink it he would kill me. So, he drank it. A few minutes later he passed out on the floor. I couldn't understand how that could happen because I never put anything in his coffee except cream and sugar. There were no drugs in it. I swear. The man then struck me on the head. Next thing I know, I wake up and you're here."

"We need to get her to the hospital and have her checked out," one of the EMTs told Rossi. The agent looked up and held up a hand.

"Just one minute more. Please." The EMT nodded seeing as the woman was not in immediate danger. He nodded.

"Mrs. Brennaman, this is very important. I need you to tell me what this man looked like. Can you describe him?"

"That's easy," Gillian said. "He looked like Agent Hotchner. I mean, he looked like a twin. Same height, same weight, same build, hair and eye color. Everything." She noticed Rossi and Morgan exchange troubled looks. "Does that help?"

Rossi smiled and patted her hand. "You did just fine. But now we have to get you to the hospital." He and Morgan helped get Gillian to her feet. She suddenly looked at Rossi.

"My children. Somebody has to pick them up. I've been keeping them home for a few days after Ron was killed. They're at a neighbors house on a play date."

"I'll take care of that. Don't worry. We'll have the neighbor take the kids until you're released from the hospital."

Gillian smiled then gave the name of the people at who's house her children were at before allowing herself to be led out of the house by the EMTs through the living room door.

* * *

When Hotch opened his eyes, he found himself tied tightly to a chair with rope; his hands cuffed behind him possibly with his own handcuffs. Looking around, he didn't recognize his surroundings. Closing his eyes he shook his head hoping to clear the cobwebs. Upon opening them again he tugged at the restraints without success.

"I'm so glad you're awake, Aaron," a voice said. Looking around, Hotch found himself looking into the eyes of a man who, other than resembling him, he didn't recognize yet thought looked familiar if such a thing was possible in his currently hazy mind. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head again. What had happened? He couldn't remember clearly. Opening them again, he looked up at the stranger who was holding a weapon in a hand wearing a latex glove, pointed at him.

"The coffee you drank was laced with Phenobarbital, Agent Hotchner," the man said calmly. "It works very quickly but can leave one a bit fuzzy afterward."

"I don't understand," Hotch replied slowly, trying to make himself focus. "I switched the coffee mugs…suspected the coffee I was given…was drugged."

The man smiled, amused. "I know. That's what I wanted you to think. Your coffee wasn't drugged, Aaron. But Gillian's was. I knew you would switch mugs figuring hers was safer after you saw her take a drink of it when in actuality, yours was safer than hers. The Phenobarbital wouldn't affect you unless you drank the entire cup of coffee."

Hotch looked up at the man. "Who are you and what do you want?" he asked coldly.

The man, amused, shook his head and chuckled. "Aaron. Aaron. Aaron. I'm hurt you don't remember me. I really am. But then again, I shouldn't be. It's been several years after-all. But it really doesn't matter because I _never _forgot you." The man walked slowly around the room, approached the agent, and pressed the cold steel of his weapon against Hotch's temple and slowly, as if caressing the face of a long-lost lover, ran the muzzle down Hotch's face until he reached his chin where the weapon was suddenly pressed hard against his Adam's apple, and raised Hotch's head so the two men could look directly into each other's eyes. "See, I don't mind that you don't remember me right now." He brought his face closer. "But I _promise _you will remember me by the time I'm finished with you." Smiling, he stepped back and wrapped his arms around himself. "But it's rude for a host not to introduce himself to his guest. Therefore, you can call me Death, and I have come back to claim you, Aaron. Does that name ring a bell?"

Hotch's eyes narrowed as he reached far back into the recesses of his brain to where he had heard that nickname before. After a few minutes he looked up, his eyes widened. "Jason Armitage!"

The man smiled. "Bravo! See, I knew you'd remember me."

"What have you done with Gillian Brennaman? If you've hurt her…"

"She's alive and well. But I would be more concerned with my own situation than worrying about her if I were you."

"Wait a minute. I prosecuted you for the murder of the man who supposedly killed your young child. You were sentenced to life without parole if memory serves."

This time Armitage reached out the other hand also encased in a latex glove and seized the agent roughly by the throat. "What do you mean, _supposedly_?" He applied a tiny bit of pressure making breathing a bit difficult. "He _was _guilty. And you let him go."

"I didn't let anyone go," Hotch replied carefully choosing his words. "He wasn't tried because, as I recall, there was so evidence proving he was the one who killed your son."

More pressure._ "He was guilty!"_ Armitage screamed. "You didn't do your job, Aaron. Therefore, I had to do it for you. I had to be judge, jury and executioner because _you _didn't do your job. My son was four years old when he died. Four! And you then prosecuted _me_ for killing the son-of-a-bitch?"

Hotch was finding it hard to breathe. Was this guy going to strangle him right now?

"I'm sorry," Hotch said hoping to get Armitage to relieve the pressure on his throat.

"You're just saying that so I'll let you live," he said sarcastically. "I should snap your neck right now and have done with it."

"But you won 't," Hotch calmly replied. "You didn't go through all this trouble just to kill me straight out. You want to make me suffer first. You want me to feel pain just like you." Hotch's head was beginning to swim from the pressure on his throat. After about a minute, Armitage thrust Hotch's head away from him when he released his hold.

"You're right of course. Killing you straight out wouldn't be even half as much fun as watching you suffer first. Besides, it doesn't matter anyway. Your lame apologies mean nothing." He turned and walked a few feet away from the agent, then turned and approached him again. "I was convicted thanks to you. Convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Do you know what that did to my wife who was still reeling from the death of our only child? Do you, Aaron?" Hotch kept quiet as his throat was a bit sore. "Then let me enlighten you. She couldn't handle my going away for life. The day after I was sentenced, she went home and killed herself. She took her own life and I wasn't there to stop her."

"I'm sorry," was all Hotch could say again.

Armitage viciously backhanded the agent. "Stop saying something you don't feel. You aren't sorry. But you will be. You will pay for what you did to me, Aaron. But your death won't be simple nor easy. Oh no. Before you die I will see you suffer so much you will _beg_ me to kill you, and then I will see you suffer even more. See, I couldn't get you out of my mind. Your face and name were permanently seared into my brain. I promised my late wife I would someday find you again and have my revenge. And here you are at last." He chuckled at the last sentence.

Hotch felt a trickle of blood run down from the corner of his mouth. "The police will find you," he said. "My team…"

"Your team. I don't think so, Aaron. See, I'm considered dead so nobody's even looking for me. I don't exist, which means I can have my way with you for as long as I want without fear of interruption."

"You killed those lawyers, didn't you?" Hotch asked suspecting he already knew the answer.

Armitage let out a deep breath and smirked. "Enough of this idle chit-chat for the moment. I have things to do. That said, he reached inside the agent's inner jacket pocket and removed his cell phone and the leather case holding his FBI identification. He opened the case and glanced at the credentials for a minute. "These will do very nicely for starters. Be right back." Armitage turned and headed into another room only to return shortly with a roll of duct tape and a syringe. Ripping off a strip of the duct tape he placed it roughly over the agent's mouth. "That's so you won't interrupt with what I have to do next." He smirked as he saw Hotch glaring at him.

* * *

JJ, Reid and Emily were sitting in the living room of the Brennaman home staying out of the crime scene unit's way in the kitchen. Before gathering in the living room, the agents searched the rest of the house for any sign of their missing Unit Chief without success.

"We were sitting right outside the entire time," Morgan complained as he ran a hand across the back of his neck. "The entire time and didn't suspect a thing. And now he's got Hotch!" Morgan punched his fist into the palm of his other hand.

Rossi shook his head. "We knew he would eventually make a move against Aaron but none of us thought it would be this soon. The fact that he did even with two FBI agents sitting outside the house tells me he's been spying on us the entire time we've been here, not to mention he's been leading us around by the nose the entire time."

"Well, I say it's time we did the leading," Morgan insinuated angrily. He jumped up and began stomping around. "C'mon, man," he snapped staring at Rossi. "This guy's got Hotch who we all knew was the one he was after. So why are we just sitting here? We should be out there looking for him."

"And we will, Derek, believe me. But we can't just go storming around without a plan. It would be a sure way to get Aaron killed," Rossi said.

Morgan pointed angrily towards the front door. "You don't think he's going to kill Hotch anyway? Hell, we heard his calls to him. He wants him dead and won't accept anything else! Hell, he could be dead already!"

"I don't think so," Rossi replied slowly getting to his feet. "Until we find a body I believe he's alive and we're going to find him."

Morgan smirked sarcastically. "You think so, huh? What makes you say that?"

Reid looked up at both men before focusing on the man he thought of as the older brother he never had. "Derek, I have to agree with Rossi. From what we know I don't believe he'll kill Hotch right away. If he wanted to he didn't have to kidnap him. It sounds like he could have killed him at different times but chose not to. And while I don't like to think about it, I believe he will probably torture him first before he ends his life."

"He's right," Prentiss concurred. "Look at Foyet when he attacked Hotch in his apartment that time. He had plenty of time to kill him and could just have easily done it. But he chose not to because he wanted to see Hotch suffer first."(1)

"Yeah, well…" Morgan stammered rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't like the idea of Hotch being tortured either."

"Neither do we, Derek," said Rossi putting a hand on the other man's shoulder. "But we know Hotch and he can tolerate a lot. And if he can hold out for awhile, it's give us that much more time to find him."

Morgan looked apologetically at the older agent. "That's a big if, Rossi."

"I know. But we will find him alive. I believe that and you have to also."

Morgan allowed a faint smile to appear. "You're right. I'm sorry, man."

Rossi smiled back. "I know you are. We're all worried about him. But we will get him back."

"Something I still don't understand," JJ interjected. "Is why does the description Mrs. Brennaman gave of the UnSub fit Hotch exactly? How does that fit into the profile now, and does it have a bearing on it?"

"I'd say yes," Reid replied looking at her. "I'd say since the UnSub killed five men all of whom resembled Hotch he has shown his obsession with him, and this obsession has led to him altering his own appearance so that he resembles Hotch so as to feed that obsession."

"So if I understand what you're saying," Prentiss added. "Is that he wanted to look like Hotch in order to keep alive his obsession with him. Every time he looked in his mirror he would see Hotch instead of himself."

"Exactly," Reid agreed. "Of course I can't be certain about this, but his obsession may even go as far as him believing he is Hotch and the real Hotch is an impostor who needs to be destroyed and is using Hotch's time as a prosecutor as way of solidifying what he believes."

* * *

"Your team is going to be quite upset, Aaron," he said with a grin. "Especially when they get here and we're not. That is simply because I know they will be able to trace any call using the GPS device in your cell. Therefore, we are going to be leaving here within the next thirty minutes. Also, I want to send your team on a wild goose chase so to speak. But now…" Sitting the credentials and cell phone on the floor, Armitage removed the protective cover from the syringe. He saw Hotch's eyes and noticed a look of concern. "This is to put you to sleep for our move. But don't worry. I have no intention of having you become addicted. At least unless I think it would be more fun to observe. Right now, I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in order to scream in pain before I kill you. But nothing is etched in stone as they say." He approached Hotchner and yanked his jacket off one shoulder and then ripped the shirt sleeve at the shoulder exposing the upper arm.

"It's Phenobarbital. I researched exactly what I needed." With Hotch looking on in horror, praying that Armitage wasn't going to get him addicted to Phenobarbital like Tobias Henkel had done to Reid with the Dilaudid, all he could do right now is watch as the syringe was inserted into his arm and its contents injected. Removing the syringe, Armitage tossed it into a nearby wastebasket. "There we go, Aaron. You should be asleep in no time and then we shall be on our way. But I have two or three things to do before we go. So, pleasant dreams." He walked away leaving the agent alone tied to the chair. In a few minutes, Hotch found himself having difficulty keeping his eyes open and soon his world turned dark.

* * *

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Rossi's cell phone. Reaching inside his jacket he removed the phone and saw the name on the caller ID. He answered the call with a bit of a smile.

"Hotch, where are you? We all thought…" His senses suddenly alerted him that something was not right.

"Ah yes, Agent Rossi I presume."

"Who is this and what are you doing with Agent Hotchner's cell phone?" Rossi's eyes took in the concerned expressions on the faces of the others. He put the phone on speaker.

"Agent Rossi, I know you've just put me on speaker so I will make this short as I'm aware there is a GPS device in it."

"Just tell me who you are and what…" Looking at Morgan, Rossi mouthed the name 'Garcia'. Morgan quickly left the room to telephone BAU's technical analyst.

"It's not nice to have this call traced while I'm speaking. Plus it'll be a waste of time as by the time you get here both I and Agent Hotchner will be gone. Where I am now is just a stopping off place."

"What do you want?" asked Rossi. "And how do we know you actually have Agent Hotchner? And if you do, how do we know he's still alive? All we have is you say so."

"True. But soon you will have all the proof you need. Once you have your proof, then we'll talk some more. And now I must go."

"Wait!" Rossi didn't realize he was shouting. "How do we know Agent Hotchner won't be dead in 24 hours?"

There was an evil laugh over the phone. "You won't. Goodbye." The call was disconnected.

"No, wait!" Rossi shouted but to silence. He slammed a fist down on the table. "_Damn _him!" He looked up at the others who all had the same thoughts as he.

* * *

Armitage smirked as he glanced at the cell as he laid it on the table beside Hotch's FBI credentials. He then glanced around knowing he only had maybe twenty to twenty-five minutes before the FBI and the police swarmed this place. Also, he had a long drive ahead of him and the federal agent would sleep for a few hours. With a smirk, he walked to the door, opened it and walked out, closing it behind him. He figured as he resembled the agent he couldn't chance being seen by Hotch's team, so he slid behind the wheel of his car and turned on the ignition. After a few short minutes, he drove away from the house and disappeared into the steady stream of traffic heading out of Alexandria, Virginia.

* * *

(1) George Foyet aka The Reaper who attacked Hotch in his apartment is from Nameless, Faceless, season 5.


	10. Chapter 10Looking For Something To Gr

**Chapter 10-Looking For Something to Grab Onto**

"Technical analyst Penelope Garcia at your service. How may I assist you today?"

Morgan's eyes narrowed. "Penelope, we need you to run a trace right away. It's urgent."

Penelope smiled. "You sound stressed, lover."

"Penelope, Hotch has been kidnapped and the son-of-a-bitch called us using his cell."

Garcia felt her stomach muscles tighten at the news. Hotch was her boss, her friend, and she liked and respected him a lot. Thoughts of Haley and Jack entered her mind.

"I'm on it. Just give me a minute."

"I'll hold. And baby doll, make it quick." Morgan could hear Penelope's fingers clicking away on her keyboard as he walked back in the living room to see the others waiting.

"Got it," Garcia said a few seconds later.

"Talk to me pretty mama."

"The address is for a Shane Cooper at 3121 Brynmar Lane, Alexandria."

"3121 Brynmar Lane. Got it," Morgan repeated. "Thanks baby girl."

"Be careful and bring back the boss man," Garcia told him.

"Wouldn't come back without him," Morgan said disconnecting the call as he and the others rushed toward the front door. He stuffed the cell back in his pocket.

Rossi looked at Prentiss. "Stay here and find out what the crime scene unit discovers and then join us."

"Right," Prentiss replied as she walked with JJ, Morgan and Rossi to the living room door. She stood in the doorway watching her three friends and co-workers walk quickly to the SUV Morgan, Rossi and Hotch had driven to the Brennaman residence wishing she could go with them, but knew at the same time what, if anything, the crime scene unit discovered could be important in finding Hotch. Sighing as she closed the door, all she could do now was wait.

* * *

Armitage continued driving normally on his way out of Alexandria, Virginia. He was never coming back there again and Hotch's team would never know where he was, not until he wanted them to find the agent's remains. He had no doubt they would continue to search for him, of that he was certain. They would continue to search until they were either forced or ordered to give up the search believing he would never be found or presumed dead and the search called off. Then, and only then, would he contact them and tell them where Hotchner's body or remains could be found. Then, he would sit back and watch the agent's team fall apart due to their inconsolable grief. But until such time, he would put the agent through hell. He chuckled as he drove. Maybe, just maybe, he might even reconsider getting him addicted to Phenobarbital. It might prove to be fun after all.

Seeing the agent returned to the FBI a hopeless drug addict could be fun and a source of amusement. He'd have to wait and see about that. But for now, his death was in his plans. But as he told the agent, nothing was etched in stone.

He was glad he had decided to take an alternate route out of Alexandria as he suspected the police and the FBI would take the direct route to the location and it simply wouldn't do for them to spot him as he was leaving. Traffic was not heavy leading out of Alexandria and heading towards Fairfax, Virginia, his precious cargo in the trunk of his car handcuffed, gagged, and asleep from the Phenobarbital. With a contented sigh, Armitage reached out a hand and switched on the radio for some music.

* * *

The black SUV pulled up outside the address Garcia had given minutes after four police squad cars did. Rossi, JJ, Reid and Morgan quickly exited the vehicle. They then proceeded to put on their Kevlar vests. They noticed one of the unformed officers, a Sergeant, also donning a vest, approaching. He and Rossi shook hands.

"Sergeant Wiener. We've been here less than five minutes and there's been no movement in the house at all. But we were advised to sit tight because you folks were en-route."

Rossi shook the officer's hand. "I'm Agent Rossi, this is Dr. Reid, and Agents Jareau and Morgan. The man in there is holding one of our agents as a hostage. We believe he may be the same man who killed five attorneys. We would appreciate any help you can give us."

"Just tell me what you need."

"Agent Morgan and I will come in through the front with two of your men. Reid and Agent Jareau along with two more of your men will go around back. Have your remaining men keep watch outside."

"You got it."

Rossi looked around at his team and then back at the uniformed officer. "Okay let's go." He and Morgan, followed by two officers wearing bullet-proof vests, waited until they heard from Reid that he and the others were in position in the back. Rossi then banged loudly on the door.

"Shane Cooper, FBI!" he said loudly. There was no answer. Standing aside, he looked at Morgan who in swift motion, kicked open the door splintering the wood and the agents and police, weapons pointed, poured inside.

"Clear," Rossi said glancing around the living room. A quick search of the rest of the house resulted with the same announcements from others until Morgan decided to take a look behind a door that looked like it belonged to a small closet. He yanked it open to see it led to a smaller room with only a table and chair.

"Rossi, in here! I found something." Morgan picked up the items sitting on the table. He was soon joined by Rossi, Reid and JJ while the officers waited in the living room.

"Hotch's credentials and his cell," the older agent said grimly taking the items from Morgan. "That proves he has Hotch and that he was here. But he's not here now." The older man let out a deep breath of frustration. "He said this was a stopping off point but where did he go from here?" He studied the scuff marks on the floor leading from the small room to the outer room. "Looks like somebody was dragged from this room into the outer room." While they were talking, Reid noticed a wastebasket in the corner of the small room. Pulling out a pair of latex gloves from his pocket he grabbed the wastebasket and reached inside, removing a syringe. He sniffed the end of the needle but there was no scent. He also noticed a pair of latex gloves.

"Check this out, guys," Reid said. "Looks like our UnSub may have drugged Hotch in order to move him from here and then threw the syringe away. He also threw away a pair of latex gloves perhaps not realizing their importance."

"Looks like our UnSub just made his first mistake," Rossi commented.

"I understand about the syringe, but if he didn't fire a gun, what importance are the gloves?" asked one of the officers, curious.

Rossi removed two evidence bags from his jacket and Reid dropped the syringe into one and the gloves into the other and sealed them both. "Latex gloves absorb perspiration from the skin," Reid explained. "With any luck, we might be able to lift a fingerprint from them which could tell us who he is."

Rossi handed the evidence bags to JJ. "Sergeant, have one of your officers accompany Agent Jareau back to your lab. We need these items analyzed as quickly as possible. JJ, once the results are known make sure they're forwarded to Quantico immediately. Then, get in touch with Garcia and see if she can work her magic on what's sent to her."

"Right away," the blond woman replied as she and one of the officers headed out of the building almost running into Prentiss who was coming inside.

"Find anything?" Emily asked Rossi as he was the first to spot the dark haired woman.

"Only Hotch's credentials and his cell showing he was here. But we did find an empty syringe and a pair of latex gloves in a waste basket. I sent JJ with them to have them analyzed. Hopefully we'll get something." He took a deep breath and then let it out. "What about the Brennaman house? Anything?"

"Nothing other than what we found before. The empty coffee cup is on it's way to the lab as well to check the contents found in the bottom of the cup. I asked them to put a rush on it. The house is now locked up tight." Looking the older agent directly, Emily's eyes then asked the question she couldn't bring herself to ask verbally.

"I believe Aaron's still alive. And until I have proof to the contrary, that's what I'm going to hold onto and so should you," Rossi said.

Prentiss sighed wearily and nodded quietly. "Other than Hotch's cell and credentials, is there anything showing where Cooper may have taken him?" She asked as she followed Rossi into the small room where Reid and Morgan were still looking around.

"Nothing so far," Morgan said. "And I doubt seriously if we're going to find anything else. Looks like he probably had Hotch secured to this chair while they were here."

"But why here?" Reid suddenly asked looking around. "What I mean is why bring Hotch to his own place and then practically lead us here? It makes no sense."

"What are you saying?" asked Prentiss. "That he wanted us to find this place?"

Rossi looked at Morgan and Reid with narrowed eyes. "It's a game with him. He wanted us to find this place. He said it was a stopping off place. He only brought Hotch here long enough to leave proof that he had him because he wanted us to find it."

Just then two uniformed officers walked in. "We checked out back," one of them said. "We found an empty garage with the door open. Whatever car was there is gone and no indication of which direction it went."

Rossi glanced at the lanky profiler. "Reid, take a look. You have fresh eyes."

"Right," Reid replied as he followed the two officers out the door and in the direction of the garage.

"So what do we do now?" asked Morgan.

Rossi let out a deep breath. "All we can do is wait for him to contact us."

Morgan, hands on hips, shook his head, annoyed. "You can't be serious man," he snapped. He held his arm straight out and pointed at nothing. "This bastard is out there somewhere with Hotch doing who knows what to him, and _you_ want us to sit and wait for him to contact us!"

Rossi remained calm understanding the agent's outburst and where it was coming from. "I understand your frustration, Derek, but we have no choice. There's nothing here to indicate where he took Hotch. And as much as I hate to admit it, right now he's holding all the cards."

* * *

Hotch struggled to open his eyes; his lids were so heavy. His mind still felt cloudy and muddled, but he slowly became aware he was lying on something firm yet comfortable. He slowly turned his head sideways and discovered his head was lying on a pillow and he was on a bed. His head was pounding and he started to raise a hand to massage his temples and found his arms wouldn't move. He licked his dry lips glad that the duct tape was gone. He badly wanted a drink of water. Squeezing his eyes shut again he shook his head, and then opened them again. He noticed he was indeed lying in a hospital bed, its head ever so slightly elevated in an upright position. He then noticed why his body could not move.

His wrists were secured with leather cuffs that were attached to the bottom of the bed frame as were his legs secured with ankle cuffs. He noticed the cuffs were not of the locking kind, but were fastened with buckles. Also, there was a leather strap across his chest, also buckled, which restricted his being able to reach the buckles binding his wrists. He looked around the room and saw a night stand beside the bed on which sat a vase of artificial flowers on a rectangular shaped doily which hung off the top of the nightstand on both sides. On the opposite side of the bed was a wooden crate standing on one end. The walls were a dingy-looking off-white color and looked like they hadn't seen a fresh coat of paint in months if not years. There were two chairs in the room, one of which was beside the head of the bed. Aaron then noticed his suit jacket was draped over the back of the other chair which was in a far corner. Looking down at himself, he saw he was still wearing his clothes including the shirt with the ripped sleeve. It suddenly dawned on him that this kind of bed was the kind he had seen in hospitals and could only be sold or used by or on order of a physician; and the restraints required a physician's prescription. This information told the profiler that Armitage either had or worked in a health-care facility since he last saw him because from what he recalled, Armitage had never been employed in the field at any time up to and before his trial.

He pulled against the restraints with all his might but they wouldn't give an inch. He let his head fall back of the pillow. As he took in and let out a deep breath, he heard the door open and raised his head to see Armitage standing in the doorway grinning at him and holding a tray in both hands on which sat a glass of water and a bowl of something which smelled to Hotch like some kind of soup. It was then he realized just how hungry he was as he hadn't eaten in over twenty-four hours.

"You're finally awake, Aaron," said Armitage with a smile as he approached the bed, sat down on the chair and placed the tray on top of the crate. "I figured by now you'd be hungry and thirsty so I brought you lunch." He noticed the profiler glaring at him and ignored it. "I suggest you eat it because starving to death is an ugly and painful way to die." He placed a napkin just under Hotch's chin before picking up the bowl of soup, then dipped the spoon into the soup and held it out to the profiler. Aaron refused to open his mouth and continued staring at his captor.

"It's not poisoned if that's what you're thinking, Aaron. Look, I'll prove it." Armitage swallowed the spoonful of soup. "Ummm. Not bad if I say so myself. Now, I'd hardly poison myself. Besides, I want you nice and healthy when I punish you." He scooped another spoonful of soup and held it in front of the agent who this time allowed Armitage to feed it to him until the bowl was empty. He then held Hotch's head up a bit and allowed him to drink some of the cool water until he didn't want anymore. Armitage then laid the profiler's head back down, picked up the tray and got to his feet. Heading towards the door, he paused and look over. "I suggest you rest up, Aaron. You'll need all your strength tomorrow when you begin to pay for everything."

* * *

"You're sure?" asked Emily of the person she spoke with on her cell. "Okay. Thanks." Disconnecting the call, she sighed as she looked at the expectant faces of Rossi and Morgan. "That was the lab. The coffee cup had traces of Phenobarbital in it. The results are being forwarded to Garcia as we speak."

Morgan noticed the thoughtful expression on the elder agent's face. "What's on your mind, Rossi?"

"Phenobarbital has to be prescribed by a physician. It's a barbiturate and can't be bought over the counter. That means our UnSub is either in the medical profession himself and has easy access to the drug or has a doctor who writes him a prescription for it either for himself or someone else."

"That could be a huge undertaking checking out all the doctors in the state," Morgan remarked grimly.

"Maybe we can narrow it down somehow. Contact Garcia, have her run a check of all the doctors in Alexandria and the neighboring areas and then cross-reference it with all doctors who have written prescriptions for Phenobarbital in the last six months. We need a list of all the patients who've been prescribed the drug." As Morgan started to move away to make his call, Reid re-entered the room followed by one of the uniformed officers. The young profiler had something in his hand that smelled burned.

"Find anything?" Rossi asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure. There were signs someone was dragged into the garage by the scuff marks on the floor that ended where the car's trunk would be indicating whoever was dragged was then put into the trunk of the car before the driver left the premises." He held out the remnants of the burned paper; it was the remainder of a map. After donning a pair of latex gloves, Rossi took it from Reid.

"Where'd you find this?" he asked while studying what there was of it.

"It was in a large drum with some other things that had been set on fire obviously. But I also noticed a spilled cup of coffee that had been tossed on top which is probably why this didn't burn completely," Reid explained. "The town of Alexandria is circled in red along with the town of Fairfax, Virginia. That could be where he took Hotch."

Morgan looked at Rossi. "Fairfax is only seventeen miles from here."

Rossi looked at the other agents. "And that's where we're going. But first we'll head back to Quantico." He saw the protests about to start and held up a hand. "This UnSub has been following everything we do since we've been in Alexandria. The one place he can't follow us is inside the BAU office. We need to get ahead of this guy for Hotch's sake. Emily, contact JJ and tell her we're heading back to Quantico and to come there as soon as she can. We have plans to make."


	11. Chapter 11The Nightmare Begins

**Chapter 11-The Nightmare Begins**

"**He who has faith has…an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out badly." - B.C. Forbes**

Hotch couldn't relax much less sleep. As his mind was clearer now, it was working overtime trying to figure a way to free himself from his restraints and escape from Armitage, or at least let his team know where he was being held as soon as he knew himself. Glancing to his right he noticed a small window with horizontal bars and signs of evening were present or at least seemed like it. He wasn't sure right now as he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious due to the Phenobarbital. But it was apparent to him from what little he had been exposed to that Armitage had planned for this moment for a long time and had apparently thought of everything. But Hotch refused to believe that Armitage hadn't overlooked something, anything, that might lead his team to where he was holding him. _Think, Aaron, think!_

Lifting his head, Hotch again glanced around the room he was in to see if there was anything he perhaps had missed earlier. Unfortunately, the only thing he noticed that he had missed earlier was a thirteen-inch television set sitting on a small table against the wall facing the bed. There was also a smaller door in the far corner which Hotch suspected might be a bathroom, and he realized then he did have to go. If he could convince Armitage to untie him thus allowing him to use the bathroom, he could perhaps overpower him. But first he had to get him into his room.

"Armitage! I need to speak with you!" Hotch shouted. "It's important! Armitage!"

It was a good five minutes before Armitage opened the door to Hotch's room and stared at the agent. "What can I do for you, Aaron? Want some company?" he smirked.

"No. I need to use the bathroom, but I can't tied up like this," Hotch said calmly keeping any hostility out of his voice.

After a minute, Armitage shrugged his shoulders. "No problem. Just give me a minute. I'll be right back." He turned and walked out the room leaving the door open, only to return a short time later holding two items in his hands both of which Hotch immediately recognized causing him to inwardly shudder; one was a stun belt and the other a remote control for it. He had seen them before and knew the pain one could inflict on a person. Armitage grinned wickedly as he held up the belt while approaching the bed. "I see you recognize it. Like it? I managed to have a fellow inmate obtain it for me. Never asked how he got it though. In fact, you knew him. Shane Cooper. He wore one of these during his trial I believe. He hated you too. In exchange for getting me this, all he asked is that since he knew I was planning on escaping, was that I take him with me so he could help me get revenge on you. So, I did. Only thing he didn't know was once everything was set up, I had no further need of him. I wasn't willing to share you with anybody. So I killed him. In fact, he's buried in the basement of this house. But you have to answer the call of nature and I'm stopping you, aren't I? So, once I have you all secure, I'll release you." Standing beside the bed, Armitage pulled Hotch's shirt from inside his trousers and proceeded to slide the thick black waistband with the battery attached to the back under Hotch's body until he was sure the battery rested against the kidney area of his lower back, and fastened it in a way so the device could not be unfastened or removed. (1) Once he was satisfied, Armitage undid the buckle of the strap across Hotch's chest and one of the wrist cuffs. Then, he stepped back well out of the agent's reach. "You can undo the other buckles yourself and then go to the bathroom. But you'll leave the door open so I can make sure you don't try anything. When you're done, you will return to the bed and lay back down again. Got it?"

Hotch's eyes never strayed from his captor as he proceeded to unbuckle the other restraints. He saw Armitage smile as he held the remote control device where he could see it. The agent slowly swung his legs over the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor, then just as slowly pushed himself up from the bed and shakily walked in the direction of the smaller room. He hated the thought of having to have such a private moment as using the bathroom witnessed by another person as he unzipped his fly, but now was not the time to antagonize his captor. As he emptied his bladder, he ever so slightly turned his head to see Armitage leaning against the wall near the open door of the outer room with a smirk and his arms crossed.

When he was finished, Hotch zipped his pants, flushed the toilet, and moving to the sink, washed his hands; his mind still racing. The only thing he could think of was to make a rush at Armitage at the last moment hopefully catching him off-guard before he could activate the remote. After drying his hands on a small towel, Hotch slowly exited the bathroom, his eyes on his captor the entire time.

"I know what you're thinking, Aaron, and I wouldn't if I were you," Armitage said.

As Hotch started to pass Armitage, he suddenly lunged at the man but having been drugged twice slowed his reflexes just a bit, and as his fingers were about to touch the man, Hotch suddenly reached for his lower back gritting his teeth from the electrical shock as he collapsed, incapacitated, to the floor. Armitage knew he had to move quickly as incapacitation would only last for a few seconds before severe pain would set in for about eight additional seconds. He quickly dragged Hotch over to the bed and laid his upper body on it quickly buckling one wrist cuff. Hotch gritted his teeth in agony as he felt his legs being tossed up onto the bed and the strap across his check being buckled. By the time the pain began to subside, Hotch was completely restrained again. The agent kept taking deep breaths hoping to ease the pain.

"I warned you, Aaron," Armitage said calmly as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You received an electrical shock of fifty-thousand volts above your left kidney which then entered your body. First you become incapacitated for 3 or 4 seconds, and then 8 seconds of severe agony, but you already know that. How'd you enjoy it?"

"_Bastard_!" Hotch whispered through still gritted teeth as the pain was slowly lessening until reduced to a throbbing in the area of his left kidney.

Armitage chuckled and got to his feet. "I have some errands to do in order to prepare for when the time comes to kill you. And uh, you won't be able to go anywhere, trust me. I won't be gone long." Walking to the door leading out of the room, he looked back at his captive and turned on the television. "Why don't you watch some television while I'm gone? Who knows. There might even be something about you on the news." He walked out of the room closing the door behind him leaving Hotch alone with a television set for company.

* * *

With the exception of JJ, the other members of Hotch's team walked into the bullpen determined to go over everything they had and come up with a way to find and rescue their Unit Chief and friend before it was too late. They were sitting around the conference table when Rossi's cell rang. The older agent answered the cell after seeing who it was.

"JJ, wait a minute while I put you on speaker." Rossi pressed a button on his phone and sat it on the table. "Go ahead."

"I had the lab put a rush on things. There was definitely Phenobarbital in the syringe and as far as the latex gloves are concerned, there's good news and bad news depending on how you look at it."

"What's the good news?" asked Reid twirling a pencil in his hands.

"There was a fingerprint of a index finger found in one of the latex gloves and when they ran it against AFIS they found a match for a Jason Armitage."

Rossi held his breath sensing the shoe was about to drop. "And the bad news?"

There was a moment of silence before JJ spoke again. "Jason Armitage was one of three escapees from prison more than a week ago who were convicted by Hotch when he was a prosecutor. He committed suicide rather than be re-arrested. Also, he wasn't a big fan of Hotch's. In fact, he hated him."

The agents all exchanged puzzled looks. How could somebody who died more than a week ago leave a fingerprint at a recent crime scene?

"Do they know how Armitage committed suicide, JJ?" asked Morgan.

"Yeah, they do. Apparently when the police got into his home, he was found in the bedroom with most of his face obliterated from a shotgun blast with the weapon found near the body. His wife's body was found nearby with her throat cut. They believe he killed his wife then killed himself."

Rossi let out a deep breath of frustration while Reid appeared lost in thought. "How soon can you be back here?"

"I should be there within the hour."

"Okay," Rossi said. "Soon as you get back come and join us. We'll still be here in the conference room."

"Okay."

Reid suddenly leaned forward. "JJ, wait a minute. You said Armitage's body was found with most of his face obliterated by a shotgun blast. Did they do an autopsy on the body to confirm his identity?"

"You know, now that you ask, no they didn't. There was no dental record check because of the shotgun blast damage. But they did check fingerprints and there was an exact match. Why?"

Reid seemed surprised. "I find that really strange. Weird in fact."

"I see what you mean, Spence," JJ said. "If Armitage's fingerprints match those of the body found in his home over a week ago, how could his fingerprint show up on a pair of latex gloves a few short days ago?"

"Exactly," Reid replied.

"See you when you get here, JJ," Rossi said before disconnecting the call. He pocketed the cell before folding his hands atop the table and exchanging looks with the others before landing on Reid. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Reid shrugged. "I don't know. What are you thinking?"

"That Armitage may have faked his own death," said the older agent. He noticed the younger man give him a small smile.

"But how does Shane Cooper fit into this?" asked Prentiss, puzzled. "We know Hotch was held at Cooper's house for a short time. But why there? Could they be working together? I mean, both of them hated Hotch."

Rossi stroked his beard for a long minute. "We need to speak with Brandon Cooper again and this time apply pressure. I don't care what he told us before. If he could help his brother somehow I think he would even if his brother wanted nothing to do with him."

"Want me to talk with him tomorrow?" asked Morgan looking at the older agent.

"Yeah," Rossi replied having gotten up and was pacing slowly back and forth. He didn't want anyone to see how afraid he was for his best friend and what he could be enduring right now providing he was still alive.

"You know," Prentiss began, "Something's been bothering me for awhile."

"What's that?" asked Morgan leaning back in his chair as he studied her.

"Well, if you remember, Hotch said when he came to work that day, he found an envelope on his desk in his office with no return address on it, just his name."

"So?" Morgan asked not understanding what she was getting at.

"So how did the envelope get there to begin with if there was no return address on it, no nothing except Hotch's name?" Prentiss continued.

Morgan waved his hands. "It was probably delivered by whoever delivers the mail to the various units."

Prentiss shook her head. "What I'm saying is how did it get through the mail with no address at all?"

Morgan suddenly comprehended what Prentiss was saying. "Somebody had to slip it into the mail cart! Whoever delivers the mail once it's in the cart wouldn't think twice about a plain envelope with Hotch's name on it. He would just deliver it."

Rossi stopped pacing. "We need to speak to the person who delivered the mail the day Hotch got that first letter." He checked his watch and then looked at Prentiss. " They may still be sorting the mail downstairs in the mail room. Go down there now and see if whoever delivered the mail that day is still there. We need to know if he or she accepted a plain envelope from anybody for Hotch."

As Prentiss got to her feet, JJ walked into the room, her blond hair tied back in a ponytail, a Styrofoam coffee cup in her hand. She and Prentiss exchanged smiles as they passed each other. She quickly sat down at the conference table, placing her coffee in front of her, a puzzled look on her face. "I just had the strangest conversation in the deli downstairs," she said looking at Rossi.

"What happened?" the older agent asked leaning forward, palms face down on the table.

"When I arrived, I stopped at the deli to get a cup of coffee before coming up here and Todd was there alone cleaning up. I asked him where Jerry was as he usually cleans up before closing and he said Jerry quit a few days ago."

"I don't understand," Rossi said. "What's so strange about that?"

JJ looked directly at Rossi. "From what he said, Jerry quit the day we left for Alexandria regarding the murders."

* * *

Hotch finally let out a deep breath as the pain he had earlier felt was now reduced to a dull ache. He glanced at the television screen trying to keep his mind off the pain knowing that if he got another chance to overpower his captor, he would have to be quicker than last time; but first he'd have to find a way to let his team know where he was. The only trouble was that he didn't even know where he was right now except that from what he remembered. He recalled Armitage had said something about them leaving Alexandria and since he had been unconscious, he had no idea where or how long the journey had been. Then something on the television screen caught his attention.

It was a newscaster preparing to deliver the news. "Good evening," he said. "And here's the news of the day in Fairfax, Virginia."

_Fairfax!_ If there was some way to let the team know he was in Fairfax, Virginia, Hotch didn't know what it was right now. He tugged again at the restraints but they wouldn't budge. "_Damn!_" he muttered in frustration.

"Bad news, Aaron?" a voice quipped.

Shifting his eyes, Hotch spotted Armitage standing in the doorway with an amused smirk on his face. Hotch glared at the man. "Are we in Fairfax?" he asked tersely.

"We are," Armitage replied calmly. "Not that it matters to you." He chuckled as he folded his arms; Hotch was beginning to despise this arrogant, smug bastard but also knew he had to be careful. "Did you miss me?" the man asked.

Hotch returned a smirk of his own. "If I said yes you'd know I was lying, so I won't say it."

"I'm going to miss you after you're gone, Aaron. But where you'll be going I wouldn't want to be anyway."

Hotch arched an eyebrow. "And where am I supposedly going?"

"To hell where you belong. I'm sure there will be people there who can't wait for you to show up."

Hotch's anger started to get the better of him. "And what makes you think you won't be joining me, Armitage? Hmm? You're nothing but a murdering, lying coward who killed a man and your wife both in cold blood."

Armitage's face suddenly became dark; his eyes flashed angrily. "I'd watch my mouth if I were you, Aaron. Or I just might forget the torture and go straight to killing you." His eyes suddenly narrowed. "How did you know I killed my wife? I told you she committed suicide after I was sentenced."

Hotch shook his head. "No she didn't. I know you killed her because a man like you who fakes his own death couldn't let the one person who could possibly expose him live. You had to kill her. I don't doubt you loved her; that much was evident at your trial, and it pained you to have to kill her. But I believe you saw how much she was suffering after the death of your child and figured instead of putting her through the additional trauma of having to deal with that on her own as well as having to deal with you faking your death, you killed her."

Armitage gritted his teeth. "She. Committed. Suicide." He accented each word separately.

"You killed her to spare her. It was your way of showing her how much you loved her. But you'd rather tell yourself she committed suicide because that way you can blame me for her death as well. It's something else to fuel your hatred of me."

Armitage stepped further into the room. Hotch could see the anger on his face. "You _shut up_!" he snarled.

"Tell me something, Jason. Did your wife know you planned to kill her all along? Or did you let her think you were taking her with you when you disappeared?"

Armitage suddenly lunged at Hotch and wrapped both hands tightly around the agent's throat and began to strangle him. Hotch couldn't breathe and wondered if he had pushed things too far too soon. "_You are to blame_, _you bastard!"_ Armitage hissed as he tightened his grip even more and just as suddenly released the agent. "Very good, Agent Hotchner. You baited me, but no. I won't kill you at least not yet." Reaching into his pocket he carefully removed a pocket knife and exposed the blade. "But I will do this instead." That said, he gripped Hotch's jaw and held his head still, and with the other, drew a line down his left cheek from just under his eye to his jaw leaving a thin line of red in its wake. Then he repeated what he did on Hotch's right cheek but instead of a line he made an 'X'. Hotch gritted his teeth with each cut, squeezing his eyes shut. Smirking again, Armitage stood up and admired his work. "I wonder if your wife would find you so attractive if she saw you now; or if how you look would frighten your son?"

Hotch slowly opened his eyes and took a deep breath as his face hurt and the cuts burned.

"Just so you know, Aaron; I didn't cut deep at all. I wouldn't want you to bleed to death on me. But, they might get infected. Just have to wait and see I guess." He tilted his head a bit. "See what you made me do before I was ready? You made me do this before time." He sighed tiredly. "You might be in pain right now, and it may be difficult, but I do suggest you rest because in a few hours the real fun begins. And by that I mean what I just did will seem like nothing compared to what I will do." He abruptly turned and stormed out of the room pulling the door closed behind him.

Hotch took several breaths which did not do much to ease the pain in his face. In fact, despite what happened, the agent was grateful for one thing and that was that Armitage didn't use the remote to activate the stun belt again. He thought it was strange he thought of that instead of how to get out of this mess. _Reid would_ _call it weird,_ Hotch thought. For some strange reason he found that amusing and allowed a small smile to appear but immediately grimaced from the motion. Closing his eyes, he let his mind drift to Haley and Jack in order to give himself the strength not to give up but to fight and survive.

* * *

(1) The stun belt could be fastened around the subject's waist, leg or arm and carries a battery and control pack and contains features to stop the subject from being able to unfasten or remove it. It is activated by remote control. It is used to control inmates in prison and some defendants who were known to disrupt court proceedings. Is also believed to be used to psychologically threaten, humiliate and degrade a prisoner.


	12. Chapter 12A New Day of Pain and For a

**A/N: We all know Foyet stole Morgan's identification after attacking him and the people in Boston. But for purposes of this story, Foyet is still in prison for those incidents.**

**Chapter 12-A New Day of Pain and For an Investigation**

Hotch was rudely awakened by a vicious backhand across the face causing the slash on his cheek to sting, and the trickle of blood to run down his cheek and drip onto the pillow. Not that he had been able to sleep that well anyway because of the throbbing of the cuts to his face, but the backhand didn't do anything to help ease the throbbing. Looking up, he saw a smirking Armitage standing beside the bed with his arms folded. But in one hand he was holding a cell phone and a roll of duct tape, and in the other a hand-held taser. Hotch swallowed hard seeing the taser having used one himself once.

"Time to wake up, Aaron," the man said with a chuckle. "It's a brand new day full of unbearable pain for you. But first, I need to make a phone call to your team."

"Why?" Hotch wanted to know the answer even though he already had an idea.

"You'll see," the man said with a grin. Putting the items he had on the night table, he picked up the duct tape, ripped off a strip and immediately placed it over the agent's mouth gagging him. "This will be for a very short time. I'm just not ready for them to hear you yet." Then, he proceeded to undo the belt of Hotch's trousers, unzip them, and spread the two sides open exposing the area beneath his boxers. He saw the look in the agent's eyes and knew what he was probably thinking and shook his head.

"Don't worry, Aaron. I have no interest in raping you. Of course, I might change my mind later. And although I'm not into guys, it still could be fun. Just think of the shame and humiliation. Depends what mood I'm in." Then, picking up the taser and the cell, he sat down on the bed turning his body in a way so he faced Hotch. He pressed several buttons, pressed the cell to his ear and waited.

* * *

Rossi, Reid, JJ, Morgan, and Prentiss had all reported to work an hour earlier than necessary as they wanted to get an early jump on their individual assignments. Gathering around the conference table, Rossi informed them he had decided to assign Reid to help Garcia with checking on and breaking down the number of doctors who prescribed Phenobarbital in the last six months. Suddenly Rossi's cell phone rang. Removing it from his pocket the agent looked at the caller ID screen and noticed nothing causing a slight shiver to run down his spine. He glanced at Morgan. "Have Garcia run a trace. Hurry." He glanced at the others. "Whatever is said, we can't make him aware we may know who he is." He saw the others nod their agreement.

Morgan grabbed his own cell and moved away from the table. He spoke hastily to Garcia, then nodded to Rossi to go ahead as he sat back down.

Answering the call, Rossi put the cell on speaker and sat it on the table. "This is Agent Rossi. Who is this?"

"Tsk, tsk. I told you I would be calling didn't I, Agent Rossi? I remember telling you that after you had the proof I had Agent Hotchner." the caller chuckled. "I know you're having this call traced but it'll do you no good. It's a disposable cell."

"Where's Agent Hotchner?" Rossi asked deliberately, struggling to control his temper.

"He's right here beside me, but he's bit tied up right now if you know what I mean."

Morgan jumped up, shaking with rage. "Look, you bastard…."

"Ah yes, Agent Morgan. I forget how hot-tempered you can be. Would you and Agent Rossi like to speak with Agent Hotchner?"

Rossi and the others exchanged wary looks. "We need to know if he's all right. Let us speak with him."

The agents heard muffled voices after a minute followed by their caller telling someone: "Speak with them and don't try anything or you'll be sorry." Then, a familiar voice came on the phone.

"Dave?"

"Hotch. Are you all right? Are you hurt at all?" asked Rossi.

"Not too bad right now," was the reply. "Dave, I…listen to me. Armitage is crazy. He's…" Hotch's voice was instantly interrupted with the sound of flesh on flesh.

"Hotch!" Morgan shouted. He knew their UnSub had probably struck the agent.

"Sorry, but Aaron isn't able to speak to you right now. However, I want you to hear a sample of what else is going to happen to him."

Suddenly the agents cringed hearing a scream of extreme agony from their friend which brought tears to JJ's eyes as she covered her mouth with one hand. Prentiss wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed attempting to comfort her friend while biting her own lower lip in order to control her emotions. Morgan, both arms spaced apart and hands flat down on the table, bowed his head momentarily before looking up again, his emotions displayed on this face. Reid swallowed hard, playing with a pencil, his eyes bright.

"_You bastard_!" Morgan shouted. "_What did you just do to him?"_

There was amused laughter on the other end. "I had to show you some of what I intend to do to Aaron before I kill him, plus, he needed to be punished for revealing my name. You know, a taser is a marvelous weapon. I'm so glad they were created. I never knew how much intense pain they could cause to a certain sensitive part of one's anatomy. In fact, I imagine 50,000 volts to his groin area probably hurt more than the slice marks I made to his face with my knife. Don't you agree, Agent Morgan?"

Morgan slammed a hand down atop the table and turned around, rubbing the back of his neck. He then turned back to the table.

Reid shifted his position trying to erase the image from his mind of what his friend had suffered so far, while Prentiss hugged JJ just a bit tighter while covering her lips with two fingers of her other hand.

"We're going to find you, Armitage," Rossi hissed trying to block out his best friend's scream of pain which was still echoing in his ears. "You won't get away with this. Hang on, Hotch. We're gonna find you."

Again there was a maniacal laugh. "Now, now, Agent Rossi. I wouldn't go making promises you can't keep." Suddenly there was another scream of utter agony heard.

JJ jumped up instantly and hurried away covering her mouth and tears flowing. She couldn't take hearing the screaming by her Unit Chief in obvious agony. Emily quickly got to her feet and hurried after her.

Rossi licked his lips. "Look, is there some kind of deal we can make? Something you'd want in exchange for letting Agent Hotchner go?" He had no intention of making a deal with this man, if anything, he wanted to break his neck with his bare hands, but he was trying to hopefully stall long enough to allow them time to find Hotch by opening a line of communication.

There was silence for a few minutes before the man spoke again. "I have exactly what I want right here beside me. And mark my words, the fun and games have just begun for Aaron." There was a click on the other end indicating the call had been disconnected.

"Damn him!" Rossi hissed angrily snatching his cell and putting it back in his jacket pocket.

Morgan's cell rang seconds later. He answered after seeing who it was. "Please tell me you were able to trace the call."

"Afraid not, Derek. He's obviously using a disposable cell except for the one time he used Hotch's phone. What happened? Did he call about Hotch?"

"Yeah," Morgan replied, frustration heard in his voice. "He let us hear him torturing Hotch over the phone."

"Oh my God," Garcia said, her voice filled with emotion. "But he's still alive, isn't he? I mean, he didn't kill him, did he?"

Morgan could hear the fear in her voice. "Not yet. Have you got that information on the doctors we asked for?"

"Yes. In the last six months there are twenty doctors in Alexandria and the surrounding areas who have written prescriptions for Phenobarbital."

"That's too many. There's got to be a way to narrow that list."

"I'll do my best," Garcia promised. She paused. "Derek, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure. What is it?" he asked softly.

"Is Hotch running out of time?"

Morgan closed his eyes for a long moment. Garcia had asked the one question Morgan never wanted to think about. "I don't know, baby girl. I honestly don't know." He let out a deep breath. "Call me back when you've narrowed down that list."

"Will do. Garcia out." Disconnecting the call, Morgan put the phone back in his pocket and returned to the table; JJ, having calmed down and gotten a grip on her emotions, had returned to the table as well.

"What did Garcia have to say?" asked Rossi.

"She couldn't trace the call. Disposable cell. And after checking in Alexandria and the surrounding areas, she found twenty doctors who've written prescriptions for Phenobarbital in the last six months."

* * *

Hotch wished he could double over from the pain after Armitage had disconnected the call. The man smirked as he watched the agent grit his teeth trying to control the throbbing in his groin. Putting the cell and taser on the table, he zipped up the agent's pants but pulled the belt out of its loops. Getting to his feet, he began swinging the belt around like a lasso, the buckle end in the air. Suddenly, he struck Hotch's body with the buckle end repeatedly, the prong on the buckle cutting into his body in certain places, drawing blood. Unable to protect himself, all Hotch could do was close his eyes to protect them from injury. He gritted with each contact the buckle made on his face and throat. Chuckling after awhile, Armitage tossed the belt on the end of the bed, grabbed the duct tape again and, after tearing off a strip, covered the agent's mouth. Reaching into his pocket, he removed the knife again. Reaching down, he removed Hotch's tie and after tossing it aside, ripped open Hotch's shirt exposing his bare chest. He studied the agent's muscular body as if admiring what he saw.

"Not bad, Aaron. You must work out. It shows too," he said. He saw Hotch turn his face towards him and glare at him; his eyes were cold. He chuckled. "I just might have to rethink breaking you in if you know what I mean." Then, with careful precision, Armitage placed the tip of his knife at selected places on Hotch's chest and proceeded to bring the blade downward leaving a thin line of red behind.

Hotch's body arched upward with each cut as the pain was unbearable; his cries of pain muffled by the duct tape. When he had finished slicing, he then placed the tip of his knife in the hollow area beneath Hotch's throat and drew a straight line down to the agent's naval. It wasn't a deep cut, but left a thin line of red in its wake. Letting out a deep breath and with a smile on his face, Armitage wiped the blade of his knife on Hotch's shirt and put it back in his pocket. Then, he gathered up his items and started towards the door. Opening it, he paused and looked back at the agent.

"I'll let you rest for awhile, Aaron. But I'll be back again this evening to pick up where I left off." That said, he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

"You okay, JJ?" asked Morgan. He understood how the blond woman felt; hell, they all did. Hearing their Unit Chief scream was more than any of them could stomach and made all of them more determined than ever to find the bastard who was holding him.

Rossi, who had been leaning forward with his head bowed, arms straight with hands, face down, on top of the table, looked at the others. They could see the pain in his eyes.

"Morgan, head out to Bradford and Hordford in Alexandria, and talk with Brandon Cooper. Find out if he knows this Jason Armitage. Put the screws to 'im."

"On my way," Morgan said getting up and grabbing his jacket off the back of the chair before heading towards the door.

"I'll check with the mail-room and see if I can find whoever delivered the mail that day," Prentiss replied as she got up.

Rossi turned to Reid. "Reid, go see Garcia and help her try and narrow down that list of doctors."

Nodding was the only response the young agent gave as he got up from his chair. That left JJ and Rossi. The older agent's face softened considerably as he studied the blond woman's face. "We'll find him, JJ," he said gently. "I promise you we'll find Hotch."

"I know," JJ replied with a sigh. "I just wonder what's going to happen to him and what condition will he be in when we do?" Her blue eyes looked up into Rossi's brown ones. "I'll go speak with Todd in the deli and see what I can find out about Jerry and if he knows exactly why he quit." She started to get up but Rossi stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"After you speak with him, schedule a press conference for later today, but don't release anything until I give you the word."

"Understood. What about you? What are you going to be doing?"

Now it was Rossi's turn to let out a deep breath. "I've got the toughest job of all of you."

"And what's that?" asked JJ with just a hint of a sarcasm.

"I have to speak with Strauss about what's happened to Hotch." He and JJ walked together towards the Plexiglas doors of the BAU.

JJ smirked. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if she had Hotch kidnapped considering how she feels about him."

That brought an amused grin to the older agent's face. "Don't go putting ideas in my head." He held open the door for her.

* * *

JJ walked across the tile floor of the lobby and into the deli; she noticed only two or three customers seated enjoying soft drinks and food. The owner, Todd Dills, was behind the counter reading the daily newspaper and looked up when the bell over the door tinkled. He smiled when he saw who it was. He closed the newspaper and moved it aside.

"JJ, glad to see you. What can I do for you this morning? Coffee?" There was a twinkle in his green eyes that matched the smile he still had. He was very fond of the blond woman and thought of her as the daughter he never had. Now in his early fifties, he and his late wife had never had children, and JJ was the closest thing to a daughter he had. He considered her to be so sweet, loving, giving, and considerate of others, that if he had a daughter, he'd want her to be like JJ. And Jareau didn't mind at all. In fact, she was flattered that he considered her his daughter in a manner of speaking. She also knew the elderly man's wife had died in childbirth and he had never remarried and was probably lonely. But for his age, he was still as sharp as a tack.

"Please, Todd. But I'll drink it here. I need to talk with you." She sat down at the counter and clasped her hands on top as she waited while Todd poured her a cup of coffee. He also put a plate with a strawberry pastry on it in front of her.

"The coffee is fresh and so is the pastry. I know how much you like strawberry pastry." Then, as she poured some cream into her coffee, Todd leaned forward on the counter and looked into JJ's blue eyes. He could tell she had been crying. "You've been crying. What's got you so upset? Something happen to one of your co-workers?"

JJ took a bite of her pastry. "Funny you should mention that. You told me yesterday Jerry quit a few days ago. Can you be more precise as to the day he left?"

"I can do better than that. I noticed you and your team when you all left together heading wherever you were going, he told me the same day he was quitting. It was right after all of you left. No warning, no nothing. He just finished work that day and left. Plain and simple. Funny thing though about that."

"What's funny?" JJ took a sip of her coffee.

"He was always watching you guys coming and going, especially that boss of yours, Agent Hotchner I think his name is. He seemed particularly interested in him for some reason. Always asking questions about him like what time did he come to work in the morning and when did he leave at night. Things like that. It was like he was obsessed with the guy. And I'll tell you another thing that's weird. When I hired Jerry, he had blond hair and blue eyes like you. A few days later, he shows up with black hair and brown eyes. I think he was wearing those uh, colored contacts I believe."

JJ's eyes narrowed slightly. Reaching into her pocket, she removed a picture of Hotch that each team member now carried on their person to show whoever they were questioning to look at and see if they recognized him. She handed the photo to Todd. "This is a picture of Agent Aaron Hotchner. When Jerry changed his appearance, did he look somewhat like this?"

Todd looked closely at the photo. "Yeah, he did. In fact, if I didn't know this was your boss I would have thought it was Jerry. Only difference between 'em is Jerry's eyes aren't as deep-set as your boss's." He handed the photo back to JJ. "Why would he want to make himself look like your boss?"

"That's a good question, Todd."

Todd shivered. "Sounds kinda weird if you ask me."

JJ smiled. "I agree. What's Jerry's last name?"

"Wartham. Gerald Wartham."

JJ finished her pastry as she thought for a few minutes. "Todd, do you still have Jerry's job application?"

"I think so. Why?"

"I just need to see it and check something."

Shrugging his shoulders, Todd disappeared into a small office and reappeared in a few minutes holding a sheet of paper. He handed it to JJ. She looked it over quickly. "You hired him exactly when?"

"Day after the date of that application. Look, JJ, what's going on? Is Jerry in trouble?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." She held up the form. "Mind if I take this for awhile?"

Todd smiled. "Who am I to refuse the FBI? Sure, take it." Seeing JJ was finished with her coffee as well, he cleared away the cup and saucer. JJ was about to get up and leave when a thought occurred to her. She sat back down.

"Todd, has the person who delivers mail throughout the building ever stop in here with his cart?"

"Tony? Sure. He comes in sometimes and brings his cart. Stops in for coffee to go before he starts his deliveries."

"Was he in here for coffee the day my team and I left together that morning?"

"I really have no idea. Sorry. But I remember the day you guys left together he came in for coffee in the morning and had to use the men's room, so Jerry let him leave his cart near the end of the counter here so he could keep an eye on it. Jerry was usually pretty good about things like that. I didn't mind as it was no big deal. Why?"

"I'm not sure. Thanks Todd." Reaching into her pocket, JJ produced her purse and was reaching for some money when Todd put a hand over hers stopping her.

"It's on the house, JJ. I won't accept your money."

JJ shrugged but handed him several dollars anyway. "Take it as a tip then," she said folding the application and slipping it into her pocket. Getting to her feet, she walked out of the deli and towards the elevator to head back to the sixth floor.


	13. Chapter 13Pain, Torture, and the Sear

**Chapter 13-Pain, Torture, and the Search Continues**

David Rossi stood outside the door of the office of Section Chief Erin Strauss and took a deep breath. He really didn't want to tell the woman anything at all, considering how she felt about his friend, but as the Section Chief, she had a right to know. He swallowed hard and then knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice said from the opposite side of the door.

Gripping the doorknob, Rossi turned it and opened the door. Walking inside, he saw Strauss seated behind her desk signing some paperwork and didn't look up right away. Rossi closed the door and waited.

Putting down her pen Strauss looked up and removed her reading glasses. She clasped her hands placing them on top of the remaining paperwork and stared questioningly at Rossi.

"Can I help you Agent Rossi?" she asked in her usually chilly tone as if she resented having what she was doing being interrupted.

"May I sit down?" Rossi asked. He did so when Strauss motioned toward the chair facing her desk. Once seated, the older agent put his hands on his knees. "There's something you need to know."

"And what is that?"

"I know you're aware Agent Hotchner's team is investigating the murder of five attorneys in Alexandria, Virginia by a serial killer."

"I'm aware of that. But I don't understand…"

"It turns out Agent Hotchner was the intended target all along and now he's been abducted by the UnSub. We, meaning the team, have received a phone call from the UnSub promising that Agent Hotchner will die when he's ready to kill him. But he called us and tortured him over the phone for us to hear."

If Strauss was upset by this news she didn't show it. Leaning back in her plush leather chair, she moved her clasped hands into her lap. Her eyes hardened as she glared at Rossi. "Why wasn't I informed of this earlier, agent?"

"You're being told about it now, Erin," Rossi said matter-of-factly.

"Tell me everything from the beginning."

An hour later, Rossi had told Strauss everything while omitting the fact that Hotch had withheld and hid the first letter he had received.

"So what you're telling me is that this man is blaming Agent Hotchner for doing his job when he was a prosecutor."

"Yes."

"What have you found out so far?" she asked crossing her legs while brushing a loose strand of blond hair from her face.

"We believe whoever sent these letters to Hotch was able to slip the first one into the mail cart here in the building and I have someone looking into that as well as talking to the person who delivered the mail that day. I have Agent Morgan talking to the attorney who's brother Hotch prosecuted and convicted as well as Agents Reid and Garcia checking into several things on the computer."

Strauss nodded as she looked thoughtful. "I know you're aware that Agent Hotchner could very well be dead even as we speak?"

This time it was Rossi's turn to nod. "I know that, Erin. But I believe he's still alive. I have to believe he is." He leaned forward. "To believe anything other than that would be too horrible to imagine."

Strauss remained cool as she put her glasses back on. Straightening up in her chair she picked up her pen and resumed going over her paperwork silently indicating to Rossi he was being dismissed. "Keep me informed," she said casually.

Rossi slowly got to his feet and headed toward the door. Opening it, he paused in the doorway and looked back. "I don't know how you do it, Erin," he remarked.

Strauss looked up in puzzlement. "How I do what, Agent Rossi?"

"Do you dislike Agent Hotchner so much that you can't even show concern for what he might be going through at the hands of this UnSub? That if something goes wrong what that'll do to his wife and son? Are you that unfeeling?"

Strauss's eyes hardened as her eyes narrowed. She removed her glasses again. "Agent Rossi, I am a professional. In this job I can't afford to allow emotion to take over. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to do my job. You and your team would do well to remember that." She returned to her paperwork inferring the conversation, in her opinion, was over.

Rossi shook his head just a bit and chuckled. "I suppose that's the difference between us, Erin. See, we can't help but show emotion when horrible things happen, especially to one of our own. It makes and keeps us human. But being human doesn't keep us from still doing our job and being professional." He didn't wait for Strauss to reply before he turned and walked out, pulling the door closed behind him.

* * *

Armitage walked into the room and noticed Aaron Hotchner glaring at him despite his suffering. It was then the agent saw the gun in his captor's hand. He wondered if this would be it; his final few minutes of life. He swallowed the lump in his throat realizing he would never get the chance to see Jack and Haley again.

Standing beside the bed, the man looked down at the agent with a smirk on his face. He noticed Hotchner's eyes never straying from the weapon in his hand. He held up the gun.

"I thought we'd play a game, Aaron. Perhaps you've heard of it? Russian Roulette?"

"Is that how I'm going to die, Armitage? By you playing Russian Roulette? Is this how you're going to get your jollies by having me wonder which chamber will contain the bullet that will end my life?" He smirked. "I thought you'd be more creative than that."

"Death is death no matter how it occurs," the man said, amused. "And Russian Roulette just adds intrigue to it somewhat. However, I decided to change this version of how it's played. See, this version differs slightly from the regular one as anybody can put a gun to someone's head." Reaching down, Armitage again unzipped Hotchner's trousers and spread apart the two halves of his pants exposing his groin area. "No, Aaron. This version is _vastly_ different. Putting a bullet in your brain will cause instant death and that's no fun. See, I'm going to aim this weapon at your groin area and keep pulling the trigger until I come to the one with the live cartridge in it." He saw the agent's terror-filled eyes despite Hotch's best attempt to hide it. "Of course the pain will be unbearable and you'll probably bleed to death quickly and perhaps even go into shock before that. But should you somehow survive, you'll be of no physical use to that pretty little wife of yours. You won't have anything physically to offer her. And if I may be so blunt, you'll be nothing more than a eunuch. She'll have to be satisfied by someone else who has working equipment. " He massaged his chin. "But there's something else I wish I could remember." He shrugged. "Oh well, it'll come to me eventually."

That said, he pointed the mouth of the muzzle at Hotch's groin while Hotch turned his head, squeezing his eyes tightly shut, hoping the end would be quick. He opened his eyes when only a click was heard.

"Huh, empty. Let's try this one shall we?" Again Armitage squeezed the trigger and again there was a click. He repeated the motion until he got to the last chamber. "Well, Aaron, looks like this is the one that'll do the job." He pressed the mouth of the muzzle right against Hotch's groin area and was delighted to see the agent close his eyes and his breath quicken. He squeezed the trigger and was surprised to hear another click; the last chamber was empty.

Opening his eyes, Hotch found himself sweating, a lump in his throat, and a fear in his belly that made him nauseous. He watched with a growing anger as Armitage examined his weapon.

"Now I remember what it was I forget. I didn't put any bullets in the gun. How do you like that? I guess this is your lucky day, Aaron. You get to keep your manhood for another day." To emphasize his point, Armitage placed a hand on Hotch's groin and gave the agent's genitals a gentle squeeze. He felt the agent's body tense at his touch.

"Get you're fucking hands off of me!" Hotch hissed. "If you're going to kill me just _do it _and get it over with, and stop with all these games." He knew he was pushing things with his outburst but he didn't care right now. His anger was clouding his judgment.

"You are spirited, I'll give you that, Aaron," Armitage kept his voice calm. Then, removing his hand, he zipped up Hotch's trousers. He was enjoying watching the agent losing control. It fit in perfectly with his plans. Hotchner losing control was only the first step.

"You're a sick, twisted bastard," Hotch continued. This remark brought pain as he was struck with the weapon on the side of his face with the 'X' carved on his cheek causing it to bleed again. Then, he was struck on the opposite cheek. He saw stars burst in front of his eyes as a haze formed.

"You need to learn some manners, Aaron. Name calling will get you nowhere."

He faintly heard the words being spoken before he felt a searing pain in his abs and continue across his stomach. He realized he'd been cut again. That was when he passed out from the pain.

* * *

Reid sat in a chair beside Garcia who sat behind her computer screen; he was studying the information on the screen as her fingers typed. Both of their minds thinking of their Unit Chief and determined to find him and bring him home alive. So far they had been able to eliminate nine names from the list of twenty-five only because those eliminated prescribed Phenobarbital for female patients and they knew they were searching for a man. Another four were eliminated because those patients who had been prescribed the drug were now deceased, and another three because those patients had nobody who had a criminal history nor anybody connected to them who had one. That left nine doctors still to be checked. Even a check of Jason Armitage had come up with nothing as neither he or his wife had been prescribed any medications; a check of Shane and Brandon Cooper showed only a prescription for blood pressure meds for Brandon.

The young profiler crossed his long legs, folded his arms and leaned back in his chair, studying the names on the screen. He was still thinking about the names on the list when Garcia suddenly stopped typing and looked tentatively at the genius.

"Reid…" she began softly.

The young profiler hearing his name called awoke from his deep concentration and looked at his friend knowing Garcia never addressed him in a serious voice unless something was wrong. He knew like he and his fellow agents, she was just as afraid for their boss. What was Hotch suffering? What condition was he in? And was he even alive? Reid didn't know what he would do if they couldn't or didn't get to him in time. Hell, what would the team do? _No, I can't think like that! We will find him before it's too late. We will. We have to._

"What is it?" he asked the computer tech in a strained voice brushing a strand of his long brown hair out of his eyes.

Garcia, head bowed, bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. "Do you think Hotch is still alive?" Her lower lip began to tremble as her eyes misted as she now looked at Reid directly. Thrown by her question momentarily Reid didn't answer, and it was this moment of non response that Garcia mistakenly thought meant the young profiler didn't believe Hotch was alive. Garcia lost it and began to cry. "Oh God," she whispered, her voice breaking and tears falling. She covered her mouth with one hand.

Reid suddenly became aware that his moment of silence had been misinterpreted by the usually bubbly computer tech. Moving his chair closer, he reached out to grab Garcia's hand but stopped himself not sure how or if he should proceed. Swallowing hard, he instead nervously clasped his hands in his lap, ran his tongue over his lips, and leaned forward. "Garcia, look at me," he said gently. He smiled when Penelope turned her tear-streaked face towards him.

"I truly believe he is," Reid responded. "And we will find him. You have to have faith. Isn't that what you're always telling me?"

"I know. But…"

"Hey," Reid said maintaining his faint smile. "It's going to be okay. We'll find Hotch and bring him home. Do you believe me, Garcia?"

She allowed a smile on her face. "Yeah, I do. You're my junior G-man. You wouldn't lie to the powerful all-knowing Penelope Garcia."

Reid smiled. "Okay. Then let's get back to narrowing down this list."

Wiping her eyes with her ring-laden fingers, Garcia turned back to her computers. "Right. Let's find that doctor and bring our boss man home."

* * *

Morgan got off the elevator on the floor for Bradford and Hordford, opened the door and walked inside. He noticed the same receptionist, Roslyn Shephard, seated at the desk typing and remembered her from when he, Hotch and Rossi were there a few days ago. The woman looked up at the FBI agent, annoyed, recognizing him from the last time. Morgan held up is credentials for her to see.

"I'm SSA Derek Morgan with the FBI here to see Brandon Cooper." He ignored her scowl as she picked up her receiver, pressing two buttons.

"Mr. Cooper, there's an FBI agent here to see you, sir. Yes, sir." Hanging up, she pursed her lips and stared at Morgan with disdain. "Mr. Cooper can see you for a few minutes, Agent Morgan. He has an appointment with a client who should be here in fifteen minutes. I assume you remember where his office is."

"Yes I do. Thank you." Morgan put his credentials away as he quickly walked down the hall and knocked on the door of Cooper's office. He opened it when he was given permission to enter. He found Cooper seated behind his desk, leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped in his lap, a smirk on his face.

"Agent Morgan, didn't think I'd see you again so soon." He pretended to look past Morgan. Where's Agent Hotchner?"

"Why don't you tell me, Cooper," Morgan replied. "Somebody abducted him a few days ago."

Cooper's eyes widened. "Really," he said sweetly. "My heart bleeds," he added sarcastically. "Do you know who did it?"

"We suspect either you and your brother working together along with Jason Armitage, or your brother alone with Armitage, had something to do with his disappearance. Both of you have made no secret of how much you both hate Agent Hotchner. So why don't you save us all some time and tell me where your brother is and where he's holding him."

"Can't help you, agent. But if you're expecting any sympathy from me you've come to the wrong place. And I don't know who this Jason Armitage is. Never heard of him. Also, I'm not sorry Aaron Hotchner's missing. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. But if you find out who did it can you let me know? I want to buy him or her a case of champagne."

It took all of Morgan's inner strength to keep from lunging at Cooper and wrapping his hands around the man's throat. He'd like nothing better than to wipe that smug, arrogant smirk off his face.

"I'm warning you, Cooper, when we find Agent Hotchner, and discover he's being held by your brother either with or without Armitage's help, and you knew about it, I'm gonna enjoy putting the cuffs on you and that slime ball brother of yours when we find him," Morgan explained with a touch of sarcasm himself. He knew he had made his point when he saw Cooper's face darken and his eyes narrow as he sat up in his chair glaring at the agent as he did so.

"Don't talk about my brother that way," the lawyer hissed. "I have no idea where he is and even if I did I wouldn't tell you. And I already _told_ you I never heard of this Armitage. And as far as your missing agent, I couldn't care less. And neither I or my brother had anything to do with his disappearance. But I'm not surprised somebody decided to teach him a lesson. I hope you don't find who it is because I'd hate to see another person suffer because of Aaron Hotchner."

Morgan slammed his fist onto the desk and leaned forward. "Look you sick son-of-a-bitch. Right now you and your brother are suspects in the murder of five lawyers and the kidnapping of a federal agent. So don't you take a holier-than-thou attitude with me because I'm only minutes away from hauling your ass to jail. So I suggest you tell me right now where Agent Hotchner is because if anything happens to him, I promise you you'll regret it. You and your crazy brother. So, I also suggest you tell me what I want to know and right now."

Cooper's face softened as a look of amusement appeared. "Don't threaten me, agent. You'll learn I don't take kindly to threats. And as far as Agent Hotchner is concerned, I don't care one way or the other whether you ever find him nor whether you find him alive. Now that may sound callous and uncaring to you, but it's how I feel." He saw Morgan straighten up and clench his fists as his arms hung loosely at his sides. He checked his watch. "Now I suggest you leave. I have a client coming in that I must meet with, so you'll have to let yourself out. Good day, Agent Morgan."

Struggling to control himself, Morgan abruptly turned and walked out of Cooper's office, slamming the door behind him so loudly that the man who Morgan assumed was Cooper's client who sat outside across the passage to the lawyer's office nearly jumped out of the chair. He then stormed out of the office and punched the down button for the elevator. Shaking his head, Morgan rubbed the back of his neck. He was totally frustrated and angry, and knew he had let Cooper get to him. But the man's smug and arrogant attitude concerning Hotch's disappearance was just too much and Morgan knew he would of lost it if he hadn't left when he did. But in the end it really didn't matter because he now knew without a doubt that Brandon Cooper was not the UnSub; but that still left his brother Shane.

* * *

Hotch swallowed the growing lump in his throat. His body hurt just about everywhere. The game Armitage played with the gun had frightened him more than he had realized as he actually believed he was about to die the most painful way possible, only to discover it had all been a sick joke was more than he could take right now. He let out a deep breath.

_Why is this happening to me? _he asked himself. _How could someone do this to someone who was doing their job? I don't deserve this. Nobody does. There has to be some way. Some way to get away. Haley. Jack. I love you both; _A small smile appeared as he thought of his son and his beautiful wife. _I need to survive for them. _

Hotch had no idea how long it would be until Armitage came back for another round of torture, but Hotch knew when he did it wouldn't be pleasant. Hell, he felt that if Armitage was to release him right now, he didn't have the strength to overpower him. He was beginning to wonder if his team would be able to find him at this point, and more importantly, _what_ would they find if and when they did locate him? Would he be a living disfigured shell of what he used to be? Or would he be a disfigured, mutilated corpse? Neither image was appealing to him, but there it was. Despite his present situation, Hotch sighed wearily. _How will Jack react seeing my face like it is? Will __he be terrified and never want to come near me again? And what about Haley? Will she even be able to look at me much less touch me again, or will my appearance disgust or frighten her so much she won't be able to? _

His thoughts were interrupted at the sound of footsteps outside his door and tensed at what twisted thing Armitage would have in store for him. He was sure he wouldn't like it. He caught his breath as the door opened and the man in question stood in the doorway; but he was holding a tray on which sat a bowl of soup and a glass of water. He heard his stomach rumble and realized he was hungry and thirsty.

Sitting the tray on the crate as he did previously, Armitage sat down in the chair and gently placed a napkin across Hotch's chest. Then, he picked up the bowl and dipped the spoon into it. He held the spoon out to the agent, but noticed Hotch hesitate eating any of it. "I suggest you eat it, Aaron because if you should refuse, I will not feed you again. And starvation is such an ugly way to die. The choice is yours."

Hotch licked his dry lips. "Is that your plan?" His throat was so dry it hurt to talk. "Keep me well fed so I won't die on you before time?"

"Partly," the man replied. "But also because I want to keep you as healthy as possible for as long as possible so I can torture you longer."

Up to this moment Hotch had convinced himself it would be better to die than to allow himself to be fed and kept alive just so he could supply amusement for Armitage by allowing him more time to torture him. But the pangs of hunger were too great, the smell of the soup too wonderful to ignore, and he knew if he was going to find a way out of here he would need his strength. Lifting his head he allowed himself to partake of the soup which was delicious he had to admit. He ate greedily and was disappointed when the bowl was empty. Placing the now empty bowl on the tray, Armitage picked up the glass of water and allowed Hotch to drink his fill of the cool liquid.

"Now, Aaron, I assume you need to use the bathroom again?" Armitage saw the agent nod. "Good. I will release one of the cuffs, so you can free yourself and go. But let me remind you of something." He reached into his pocket and removed the remote control.

Hotch didn't react because of the pain he felt from the knife wounds, he had momentarily forgot about the stun belt, but the remote brought the memory back quickly. He nodded. Smiling, Armitage stood up and reaching down, unbuckled one of the straps holding his wrists as well as the strap across his chest. Then he stood out of reach with the remote in his hand watching the agent undo the remaining buckles.

Hotch's entire body was sore and each movement stiff, but he was able to move his legs off the edge of his bed and put his feet on the floor. With his eyes on Armitage, Hotch used his hands to push himself up off the bed, and staggered into the bathroom where, after taking care of the call of nature, he took a few minutes to look in the mirror of the medicine cabinet and was horrified at what he saw. For a minute or two he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head before opening them again and studying his reflection.

His face had cuts on each side that still oozed blood, there were blackish purple bruises forming, and he partially saw the cuts and winced seeing the angry red line on his chest. He looked like a disfigured freak. If all of this was to humiliate him, Hotch figured his captor had done a good job so far. He looked down and fingered the stab wound in his left ab area and winced at the touch and noticed a smear of blood on his fingertip. He hung his head and covered his eyes with a hand.

"How do you like my handiwork, Aaron?" Armitage asked cheerily. "It may not be original, but I think it makes a point. Don't you agree?"

Hotch could feel his anger rising and fought hard to control himself. He was aware he still wore the stun belt and was not looking forward to receiving another 50,000 volts. Flushing the toilet, he washed his hands and dried them before turning to leave the bathroom. His eyes glared at his captor as he started walking toward the bed. Suddenly and without warning, he cried out in pain and dropped to his knees, clutching his lower back as 50,000 volts of electricity shot through his body before finally falling over onto his side, moaning.

Chuckling, Armitage warily approached the stricken agent and knelt down at his head, his finger on the button of the remote. "I just wanted you to remember I have complete control over you, Aaron. I can do anything to you I want." He pressed the button again causing Hotch to squeeze his eyes shut and grit his teeth after hissing in pain. Armitage leaned closer and whispered directly into Hotchner's ear. "Anything I want to."


	14. Chapter 14New Torture and a Possible

****The torture in this chapter will be of a non-graphic sexual nature. But it won't warrant a change to an 'M-rating.' At least I hope not.** **

**Chapter 14-New Torture and a Possible Break**

It was no surprise to Hotch when he managed to open his eyes and found himself back on the bed and restrained again; he just didn't remember it. The throbbing in his kidney area reminded him of _what_ had happened, but no more than that. It was then he noticed he was missing his shirt, trousers, shoes and socks. All he still had on were his light blue boxers.

"Enjoy your nap, Aaron?" a familiar voice said with a chuckle.

Despite a splitting headache, Hotch turned his head a bit to the side, and spotted Armitage seated in a chair looking completely relaxed with his legs crossed and arms folded. Not saying anything to the man, all the agent did was swallow the lump in his throat while wondering what the man had in mind that warranted removing his clothes leaving him in his underwear.

"I see you're wondering about your clothes," Armitage explained innocently getting up from his seat and approaching the bed. He then stood beside the head of the bed and stared down at the agent. "You won't be needing them anymore for what I have planned. Too cumbersome. Also, I'm starting to rethink something." Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Armitage gripped Hotch by his jaw and turned his head towards him, forcing him to look directly at him. "Did you know I was raped by an inmate while in prison, Aaron? No, you wouldn't know, would you? It was the most degrading, excruciatingly painful and humiliating thing that ever happened to me. I was so full of shame for months. But then I told myself that experience would be something else I'd have to thank you for." He brought his head close to Hotch so that his lips were close to the agent's ear. "I've been rethinking about how that experience would make _you_ feel. Would you feel degraded? Humiliated? Ashamed? Why don't we see how _you'd_ react, Aaron?"

"You keep your fucking hands off of me!" Hotch shouted before he had a chance to think about what he was doing.

Armitage just chuckled as he straightened up and laid a hand on the front of Hotch's boxers. "But we'll start with some warming up exercises." Then, with a chuckle and a smirk, Armitage began to fondle the agent through his boxers as Hotch squeezed his eyes tightly shut and forcing himself to endure the touch of this _person, _for lack of a better word. Even though there was the cloth of his boxers between his flesh and Armitage's hand, it didn't make it any better to the agent. He hated having to suffer this indignity. He struggled against the restraints in what he knew was a feeble attempt to get away from this animal but without success. He _hated_ the man's touch and _didn't_ want his filthy hands roaming over his body.

"Stop. Don't. Please. Just stop." Hotch knew he sounded like he was pleading a case, but right now he hoped it would be enough.

Armitage leaned forward again and brought his mouth close to Hotch's ear. "I can't, Aaron," he said gently. "I'm just getting started."

* * *

Rossi, JJ and Prentiss were gathered around the conference table when Morgan walked in through the double doors of the BAU. From the look on his face, the three agents could tell the interview with Brandon Cooper had more than likely not gone well.

"You look like a man who wants to commit murder," Rossi said grimly. "What happened with Cooper?"

Morgan collapsed in a chair before slamming his fist on the table top. "I wanted so badly to wipe that smug, arrogant smirk off that bastard's face," Morgan explained. He focused on the older agent. "He didn't give a damn about Hotch, or even whether he was found alive or at all."

"And that surprises you?" asked the older agent.

Morgan clasped his hands on the table, reigning in his temper. "Not really. But something he said does. I mentioned to him that when we found Hotch and discovered that he and his brother were behind it, he became angry and defensive."

"So?" asked a puzzled JJ.

"I watched his eyes, JJ," Morgan said facing her and being animated with his hands. "He looked scared that his brother might have been involved in Hotch's disappearance. Personally, I don't believe Brandon Cooper is involved in this in any way, shape, manner or form. And I have a feeling that neither is his brother Shane."

"Does he know Armitage?"

"He said he never heard of him and I believe him."

"What makes you dismiss his brother as a potential UnSub?" Rossi's eyes narrowed. "I only ask because we did find Hotch's cell and credentials in Shane Cooper's home."

"And that's another thing, Rossi," Morgan continued on. "If Shane Cooper is working with Armitage in Hotch's kidnapping, then why haven't we heard from him? The only person we've heard from throughout this entire situation has been Armitage. And for what we know of Shane Cooper's feelings towards Hotch, I don't think he's the type that's just gonna let somebody use his home as a stopping off point and that's it. I mean, I think he'd want to be involved in everything from the moment Hotch was abducted." Looking around at the others, Morgan could see they had been seriously considering what he had just explained.

"Let's say what you just said is true," Rossi interjected. " Why would Shane Cooper not be currently involved in what's happening with Aaron?"

"Only three reasons I can think of. One, after he let Armitage use his place temporarily he took off leaving everything to Armitage. I don't see that happening. Two, he's been found and arrested by law enforcement. I don't see that happening either because I believe we would have heard something about him being picked up. And three, he's either dead or held prisoner along with Hotch because he knows what Armitage planned on doing and Armitage didn't want to take any chances."

Rossi nodded as he bit his lower lip. "Let's go one step further then. What do you think happened to Cooper?"

Morgan let out a deep breath and again clasped his hands on top of the table. "I'd have to say he's probably dead although I can't prove it. I also think from what we know about Armitage up to this point, the minute he found out how Shane Cooper felt about Hotch, he figured he could use him to help him plan this entire thing. But once Armitage had Hotch prisoner, he didn't need Cooper any more."

"You just may have something there," Rossi added. He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Wasn't Cooper serving a life sentence after he was convicted?"

"I think so. Why?"

"Armitage was also serving time. We need to see if their paths crossed while in prison," Rossi replied removing his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket. "Garcia?"

"_Yes, sir," _the bubbly tech analyst replied. _"Uh, sir, my junior G-man and I are still trying to narrow down that list of doctors for you."_

"I'm not calling about that. I need you to check something for me. I need you to check on whether Shane Cooper and Jason Armitage were both serving life sentences at the same prison at the same time."

"_I can do that. Hang on and give me a minute." _Garcia's fingers could be heard tapping her computer keyboard. "_Got it, sir. Shane Cooper and Jason Armitage were both prosecuted by Hotch in separate trials at different times, and both were not only found guilty but were sentenced to life sentences which were carried out at the same prison in Alexandria, Virginia. Do you need the name of the prison, sir?"_

"It's not necessary. Thanks, Garcia," Rossi replied.

"_Uh, sir…." _Garcia rapidly added before her acting boss disconnected the call. _"Can I ask you a question?" _her voice sounded sad almost.

Rossi exhaled through his nose knowing what the tech analyst was going to ask. "We've heard nothing else from the UnSub regarding Hotch. But we believe he's still alive."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. _"Thank you, sir. It's just…it's just so hard to keep the faith the longer he's missing, y'know," _Garcia said her voice breaking.

"I know, Princess. But I _promise_ you we'll find him. You just keep telling yourself that. And get back to me as soon as you and Reid have narrowed down that list."

"_Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."_ Garcia terminated the call allowing her and Reid to continue with their assigned task_._

Sliding his cell back in his pocket, the older agent looked at the others. "Armitage and Shane Cooper were both serving life sentences at the same time in the same prison in Alexandria, Virginia. That's where their paths crossed."

"And probably where Armitage hatched his plan regarding Hotch and convinced Cooper to work with him seeing as they both shared a similar hatred for the same man," Morgan added.

Rossi smirked. "Now we know why Armitage refers to himself as the Undead. Everybody thought he was dead and he really wasn't." Shaking his head, the older agent focused on the blond agent. "JJ, what did the owner of the deli on the first floor tell you?"

* * *

Hotch closed his eyes and heaved a sigh after a few minutes of relief from being groped by Armitage. But his relief was short-lived as he soon heard footsteps on the stairs outside his room, and before long Armitage entered the room carrying a tripod and a video camera. He set up the tripod and the camera so that the camera faced the side of the bed and that his captive was facing the camera; then checked making sure the entire length of the bed was visible. Pressing a button on the top of the camera caused a compartment on the side to open; then, reaching into his pocket he took out a flat diamond case and after removing a compact disc, inserted it into the open slot and closed it.

Hotch watched this flurry of activity with building dread because he not only had an idea Armitage was sending the team a video of what he was doing to him just to torture them, but he immediately figured out what his captor's next move would probably be and the thought sickened him because he didn't want this man to touch him that way or any other way for that matter. It was bad enough he had sliced him up and probably disfigured him, but what he was planning on doing next made the agent nauseous to the point he wanted to vomit. He didn't want to be abused sexually, and especially not have it videotaped for anyone much less his team to witness. Closing his eyes momentarily, Hotch swallowed the lump building in his throat knowing that the worse was still yet to come.

"I want your team to see what I've reduced you to so far, Aaron," his captor's voice said causing the agent to open his eyes. "Should be a good show for them, don't you think, seeing their beloved Unit Chief being humiliated, shamed, and degraded before their very eyes?"

Hotch's eyes darkened. "My team will never stop searching for you, Armitage," he hissed. "Even if you kill me, this video will just make them all the more determined. Or did you forget they know your name?"

Armitage smirked. "Doesn't matter, Aaron. See, this place is not in my name so there's no way for them to connect it to me. But even if they somehow should, you won't be alive by the time they get here. Now, I just need to get three more items and we can begin the next stage of your payback." Grinning with amusement, the man turned and exited the room.

Alone for a few minutes, Hotch let out a deep breath while his weary mind tried to focus and come up with a way to send a message to his team letting them know where he was in Fairfax. But first he needed to find out where he was. There had to be something either in this room or buried in his memory from when he prosecuted Armitage that he had since forgotten but was still stored somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind. Looking around, Hotch didn't see anything other than the television set; there wasn't even a picture on the wall despite the lighter color on the walls indicating where once two or three had once hung. He was brought out of his concentration again by the sound of footsteps on the stairs outside his door.

"I'm back," Armitage said grinning like a Cheshire cat with a cornered mouse. "Did you miss me? Doesn't matter really. I'm sorry I had to leave you so suddenly, but I forgot to bring these with me before. One is the two pairs of handcuffs I'm holding, and the other is this which I'm sure you remember. I also have one other thing in my pocket." The item he held in his other hand was the remote control for the stun belt; his finger resting on the button. "See, Aaron, I decided you needed to find out how I felt when I was being humiliated, embarrassed and shamed by one of my fellow inmates. You need to feel it all. So, I'm going to make sure you do."

Hotch swallowed the lump in his throat. He had no idea how much longer he could try and resist what was being done to him. In fact, the only thing that had kept him from having already given up was thinking of Jack and Haley and what would happen to them. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered. "I know what you _told_ me. But what do you really want from me?"

"I told you. I want you to pay, Aaron. I want you to suffer and beg for your life before I end it. But before I kill you, I want you to feel all the pain, indignity, humiliation, shame and suffering that I endured _because_ of you."

Dropping the handcuffs and the remote onto the bed, Armitage reached into his pocket and removed a mask similar to what was worn by 'The Lone Ranger' and put it on the bed beside them. Then, picking up the mask he put it on his face and adjusted so it hid the upper part of his face. He walked over to the video camera and pressed a button causing a red light to begin blinking, then walked back to the bed. He stood on the side that put him behind Hotchner and picked up the remote.

"I suggest you try and enjoy it, Aaron. I know I will." There was a wide smile on his face as he pressed the button on the remote. He chuckled watching his captive scream as his body arched upward as 50,000 volts shot into it. While Hotch moaned from the pain, Armitage picked up one pair of handcuffs, undid the buckle of one leg restraint and put one end around the ankle, draped the leg over the other leg and the other end of the handcuff clamped shut around the railing at the bottom of the bed. He then did the same with Hotch's arm resulting in him still restrained but now lying on his side. He put the remote on the night table.

"Smile for the camera, Aaron." Armitage lay down behind the FBI agent and snuggled close to him. He then reached over and slid his fingers under the elastic of Hotch's boxers and started to fondle him.

"I'm not into men," Armitage said looking directly into the camera. "But Aaron here is just too irresistible." He ignored Hotch's continued moaning from the throbbing pain in his kidney area. He felt he would throw up, and knew there was nothing he could do to stop what was happening. All he could do was try and stay alive until his team found him. He suddenly felt lips sloppily nuzzling the side of his neck which made him even more nauseous. He hated what was happening; hated it with every fiber of his being. "Your boss is moaning already and I've only just started. He's just so eager for it," Armitage added to the recording being made.

Hotchner gritted his teeth as the fondling continued. It didn't hurt, but he still hated it; hated being forced to endure it. Armitage was slowly stripping away another layer of his dignity. He took a deep breath while trying to steady himself for what was happening and forcing himself not to antagonize Armitage by pulling away from him as he didn't know what the man would likely do to him if he made him angry. The knowledge that his team would be seeing what was being done to him humiliated him.

Armitage lifted his head just enough to look over his captive's shoulder and down at his face. "You should relax, Aaron. But your tensing up will just make it all the more pleasurable for me and embarrassing for you."

Hotch felt ill as the bile rose in his throat; but he forced it back down. He continued squeezing his eyes shut not wanting to see anything but to stay in that protective darkness figuring if he couldn't see what was happening then he might not hurt so much. But it didn't help much. As the fondling continued he could feel himself becoming hard. All he could do right now was not allow Armitage the satisfaction of seeing how humiliated he really was.

"C'mon, Aaron, and show your team how much enjoyment you're getting out of this," a sarcastic voice said from behind him. The arm draped over Hotch's body pulled the agent closer thus holding him in a tight embrace until Hotch could feel his captor's body pressed tightly against him. But no matter how much he hated what was being done to him, he did breath a silent prayer that at least Armitage had decided not to rape him. But then again, he had no way of knowing if his captor had future plans to invade his body before he killed him and knew he had to mentally prepare himself for that eventuality just in case the man decided he would violate him in the worst possible way another human being could.

Hotch fought to maintain control over his body so that it hopefully wouldn't betray him before the fondling ceased.

Finally…_finally_…Armitage removed his hand from inside the agent's boxers and looking over Hotch's shoulder with a big smile for the camera, kissed the agent's shoulder, then patted his arm.

Despite now being separated from his captor, the knowledge his team would see him being molested distressed him but there was nothing he could do about it.

"So good, Aaron, considering you're a guy. We must do this again soon. _Very _soon."

* * *

Rossi sighed wearily after JJ and Prentiss had both finished explaining what they had learned.

"Okay, so what do we have? According to Emily and JJ, the man who delivers the mail to our floor stopped in the deli on the first floor to get coffee and use the men's room before starting his rounds. He left his mail cart unattended for a few minutes and that seems to be when the letter that Hotch found on his desk was slipped into the cart unnoticed. Said letter was then delivered to Hotch's office. And the assistant working at the deli quit the same day we left for Alexandria to begin our investigation regarding the murders of five lawyers."

Morgan picked up the facts from there. "And this same person changed his appearance after awhile to look like Hotch and was asking a lot of questions about him. And despite Brandon Cooper and his jailed brother Shane who escaped from prison, I believe neither brother is involved in Hotch's kidnapping but that Shane Cooper escaped with Jason Armitage who I also believe convinced him to help him kidnap Hotch and then possibly killed him after Hotch was abducted."

"And Armitage faked his own death as well so nobody would look for him which enabled him to move about setting all this up with nobody asking questions because everybody thought he was dead," Rossi concluded. He then looked at Prentiss. "Emily, show Todd a photo of Jerry Wartham and Jason Armitage and ask him which man is the one he hired. I have a feeling we already know the answer." His eyes shifted to JJ. "Have you scheduled a press conference yet?"

"Not yet," JJ replied.

"Schedule one for four p.m. tomorrow afternoon, but don't release anything until I tell you," Rossi advised her.

JJ tossed back a loose strand of her long blond hair over her shoulder as she looked at Rossi. "What did Strauss have to say when you told her about Hotch?"

Rossi rolled his eyes and snorted. "Erin Strauss was a bitch as she usually is. She wanted to know what happened, but as far as showing concern for Aaron, I wouldn't hold my breath."

* * *

Armitage climbed out of the bed he had shared with Hotchner, and walking over to the video camera, turned it off before removing the compact disc and held it carefully so no fingerprints would get on it. Couldn't afford to get sloppy now. He looked at the FBI agent lying on his side trying to curl into himself as much as his restraints would allow. He heard Hotchner whimper occasionally still from the dull ache in his kidney area from the stun belt. Approaching the bed, he touched Hotchner's shoulder and grinned as the agent shrank away from the touch.

"I shall return, Aaron," Armitage promised with a smirk as he picked up the case and slipped the disc inside. "But I must send this to your team before contacting them again. I'm interested in their review." Receiving no response from the agent, he shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the open door, stopping only to turn on the television before walking out of the room.


	15. Chapter 15More Torture, Humiliation,

**Chapter 15-More Torture, Humiliation and an I.D.**

Rossi and Morgan were still seated around the conference table an hour later when Prentiss returned to the conference room holding two photographs in her hand, and she appeared excited judging by her facial expression and body language. Walking up to the table, she laid both photos side-by-side in the center of the table. One photo was of a stocky man somewhere in his early to mid forties with dark reddish-brown hair and brown eyes; the other was of a slender man approximately the same age but with light brown hair and bluish-gray eyes who world have resembled Hotch more had it not been for the different hair and eye color.

"Todd told me the man he knew as Jerry Wartham is this man," she explained pointing to the photo of the man with light brown hair. "But I stopped by to see Garcia on the way back here and had her run a check on both men, and this is not Jerry Wartham. This is Jason Armitage. The other man with dark reddish-brown hair and brown eyes is the real Jerry Wartham who was killed in a drive-by shooting, and from what Todd told me the time-line shows Armitage showed up a week after Wartham's death with Wartham's identification and his own picture on Wartham's driver's license. The strange thing also is that Wartham was foreman on the jury that convicted Armitage when Hotch tried him. That seems to be the only time their paths crossed. Armitage must have kept track of Wartham and when he broke out of prison figured he needed to get a job that would enable him to keep tabs on Hotch so he could set his plan in motion."

"Sounds like Armitage may have killed Wartham in order to steal his identity," said Morgan grimly.

Rossi picked up Armitage's photo and studied it carefully. "Y'know, if you give Armitage black hair and use dark brown colored contact lenses with his face he could be Hotch's twin." He passed the photo to Morgan who studied it.

"So each of the murders was a case of mistaken identity because Armitage thought each time he had found Hotch and killed his victim only to discover later he had killed the wrong man," he said handing the photo back to the older agent. "The only connection the deceased men had to Hotch was that they happened to resemble him."

Rossi took the photo back and looked at it. "And when he finally located Hotch, he got a job in the deli downstairs so he could keep tabs on him and learn when he came to and left work. He also pumped information from the deli owner about him. I'm guessing he made sure he was never present when Hotch entered the deli in the morning to get coffee when he came to work because if Hotch saw him he would have noticed the resemblance immediately."

"Exactly," Prentiss agreed. "He spent a lot of time setting everything up. And once he had everything set up and saw all of us together leaving that day, he figured it was the perfect time to spring his trap and quit the deli job so he could follow us to Alexandria."

"We have to find this bastard," Morgan announced with clasped hands on top of the table.

"And we will, believe me. He's not going to get away," Rossi assured him. They all looked around when JJ, her long hair flowing behind her and carrying a folder, quickly walked toward them.

"The press conference is set for four p.m. as you requested," she informed the older agent. He handed her Armitage's photo. "Is this him?" she asked.

"That is Jason Armitage," Rossi informed her. "I want you to show his photo along with Aaron's during the press conference. People need to see the physical resemblance between the two men. Maybe somebody saw Armitage."

"Will do," JJ replied tucking the photo inside the folder she had containing the information for the press conference. "I'll make sure to get a copy of Hotch's photo before I hold the press conference."

A few minutes later, an excited Reid walked into the conference room**. **He held five copies of a computer printout and handed one to each agent. Looking at it, each agent noticed three names printed on the single sheet; then looked into the brown eyes of the young agent.

"Garcia and I managed to reduce the list of nine doctors who prescribed Phenobarbital. Four of them only recently retired after closing their practices a year after their licenses were pulled due to ethics problems; two more stopped taking new patients over two years ago and up to that time gradually reduced the number of patients they were treating and finally stopped taking any new ones. That leaves us with three who still have an active practice, have been prescribing Phenobarbital, and are all located in Fairfax."

"Doctor Phillip Dexter, Doctor Celia Harbinger and Doctor Alex Morrow," said Rossi who checked his watch. "We have several hours before the press conference. Emily, see Doctor Dexter; Morgan, you see Doctor Morrow and Reid, visit Doctor Harbinger. Then everybody come back here so we can organize the information for the press conference."

"And while they're doing that," said JJ. "I'll have Garcia check and get me all the personal information she can on Armitage."

But before the other agents could get up from their seats in preparation to leave for their assignments, a young first-year agent who Reid knew to be Michael Walker, came up to them and handed Rossi a medium-size padded envelope. It was addressed to the BAU with attention to Agent David Rossi.

"This just arrived, Agent Rossi," he said. "Some guy walked in and handed it to me. He said I should give it to you."

"Some guy?" asked Morgan becoming angry. "Please tell us you can describe this guy."

The agent, embarrassed, hung his head. "I'm afraid I didn't pay attention. Sorry."

Morgan, looking up towards the heavens, ran both hands down his face and uttered a four-letter word loud enough for everybody to hear. He knew this guy was somewhat incompetent and just how he became an FBI agent was beyond him. He glared at the man with his version of the 'Hotchner stare.' "Damn it, man. Somebody kidnapped Agent Hotchner and you may have just let the UnSub walk out of here." He glanced at Reid. "Reid, get downstairs and see if the video cameras have a shot of our guy." The others clucked their tongues with annoyance.

"On my way," Reid hollered over his shoulder as he ran towards the double doors of the BAU office.

"Next time, agent…" Rossi explained angrily. "…pay _attention_ when somebody hands you something."

"Yes, sir," Walker replied softly feeling embarrassed that he may have allowed a kidnapper to get away. Seeing every set of eyes on him, he quickly turned and walked away wanting to get away as fast as possible.

Rossi looked at the envelope in his hands. The older profiler knew he should have worn latex gloves before handling the envelope, but figured the perpetrator had been careful not to leave any prints anywhere else except inside one latex glove obviously unaware prints could be left inside the gloves, so chances were remote there wouldn't be any on the envelope. Ripping it open, the agent reached inside and removed a diamond case in which was a compact disc around which was a single sheet of paper with an elastic band around everything. Removing the elastic, Rossi removed the sheet of paper and unfolded it. He read the contents aloud while holding the case in his hand. "Dear Agents, enclosed is a video of Agent Hotchner. Enjoy the show. I will be in touch." Rossi handed the case to JJ hesitantly. "Play it."

Taking the case, JJ set about getting it ready for viewing as Reid walked hurriedly back into the office.

"I couldn't tell if it was our UnSub or not," he said dejectedly. "The only view on the tape was of someone who appeared to be wearing a courier's uniform but had a cap pulled down very low on his face and sunglasses. You can see him hurry inside, hand the envelope to Agent Walker and walk quickly out the door. There's no indication as to which direction he went after he left the parking lot. But I had security turn the tape over to Garcia to see if she can enlarge the image so we can hopefully get a better look at his face." He spied the paper in Rossi's hand. "Was that in the envelope?" he asked.

Rossi handed him the letter and told him about the compact disk it was wrapped around. Reading it quickly, everyone noticed the young agent's body stiffen. Reid looked up distressed at the older agent before glancing over as JJ returned holding the remote in her hand.

"It's ready," she said grimly as she pressed the 'play' button afraid to see what was on the disc. She sat down as the image of a bed appeared on which lay a restrained Aaron Hotchner on his back clad only in his boxers and facing the camera.

"My God!" Emily cried out in shock. "Hotch's face! Look at his face and his chest!"

As she watched the image, tears began to roll down JJ's cheeks at seeing her boss's face carved up as it was. She thought Hotch was one of the best-looking men she had ever seen and admitted she might even have a bit of a schoolgirl crush on the handsome profiler. And to see him this way broke her heart. Prentiss clamped a hand over her mouth as her eyes glistened. She couldn't bear thinking how Hotch was suffering and would probably suffer before they found him. But she knew her boss to be a strong man and would endure whatever Armitage did to him in order to survive. And to Emily, Hotch would survive this. Reid swallowed hard as tears began rolling down his cheeks. It broke his heart seeing the man he thought of as a father figure since Gideon had left suffering this way, and wondered _how_ and _if_ he would survive the aftermath. What kind of man would he be afterward? Reid was inwardly terrified to think how Hotch might be following this experience. But regardless, Reid knew he had to be there to help him in whatever capacity he could; he owed it to him. Morgan's face darkened and his eyes hardened as he ground his jaw. Watching the man he wanted to emulate, suffer as he was filled him with a rage he never knew he could feel. All he knew was that if he got five minutes alone with Armitage, he would kill him with his bare hands. _Nobody _treated his boss, friend and mentor this way. Morgan made a promise to himself that he would be there for Hotch even if he didn't want him to. _He needs to know I believe he can still lead this team and I have faith in him, _Morgan told himself. Rossi's expression didn't change; but inside he was seething at seeing the man who was not only his boss, friend, and confidant, but a man he considered a son, being tortured for the sick enjoyment of someone for doing his job was more than he could stomach. Rossi would be there for Hotch no matter how long it took for him to recover. Hotch was this team's leader and Unit Chief, and Rossi would do everything he could to help his friend see that regardless of what happened to him, he could still effectively lead this team. To Rossi, Hotch and the team needed each other and _nobody_ was going to separate them.

"_I suggest you try and enjoy it, Aaron. I know I will," _said the man wearing a 'Lone Ranger' mask. He was holding two things in his hands. One was recognized as a pair of handcuffs.

"That looks like a remote control of some kind," said Morgan, a pained expression on his face seeing what had happened to his boss and friend.

They noticed the man hold out the item in his hand and press something. The scream of pain emanating from their boss's lips was nearly too much to bear. JJ turned away from the image and covered her mouth with one hand while the others saw the perpetrator, using the handcuffs, adjust Hotch's body until he was now on his side facing the camera still hissing from the pain.

"Look at the belt around his waist," Morgan explained. "That looks like a stun belt. When you press a remote control, it sends 50,000 volts of electricity into the area of your kidney. That bastard!"

"_Smile for the camera, Aaron."_

Then they watched in horror as the kidnapper snuggled up behind Hotch, and draping an arm across his body, slid his hand beneath his boxers

"_You should relax."_

"_C'mon, Aaron, and show your team how much enjoyment you're getting out of this."_

"My God," Rossi muttered in anger. "He's cut up Aaron's face and chest. And now he's molesting him sexually." He pounded a fist down on the table in rage. They watched the man then kiss Hotch's shoulder.

"_So good, considering you're a guy. We must do this again soon. __**Very**__ soon."_

They watched as the man then got up from the bed and walked away before the image disappeared. JJ, managing to watch the last part of the image, pressed the 'stop' button turning off the television screen. For a long while the agents simply sat and stared quietly in shock at what they had seen. JJ wiped her eyes with her fingers while Prentiss now allowed tears to roll down her cheeks, speechless; Reid, his eyes glistening, looked upward as he wiped his face with the back of his sleeve. Morgan was silently staring at a spot on the table while Rossi's face was unreadable. But his dark eyes revealed how he truly felt inside.

After sensing the others had regained some of their composure, Rossi sighed. "Reid, Emily, Morgan, get going to the doctors' offices," he said quietly. He watched as the three agents slowly got up preparing to leave on their assigned tasks. But only Prentiss lingered and looked at Rossi who had a grim expression on his face as he massaged his forehead.

"Dave? You all right?" she asked, worried.

Rossi took in a deep breath and with the pain evident in his eyes, looked into Prentiss's red, wet eyes. "I think it's time I made the most difficult phone call I've ever had to make." He exhaled through his nose. "I have to call Haley and inform her about Aaron."

"Do you want me to do it instead?" asked JJ knowing Rossi looked upon Hotch as a son as well as being his friend and confidant.

With a small smile, Rossi shook his head. "Thanks. But I think it's best that I do it."

* * *

As he made his way to the upper level where his office was, Rossi stopped outside Aaron Hotchner's office and stared through the Venetian blinds gazing inside. It was strange seeing the agent's office empty; and the older agent wondered if his friend would ever sit inside that office again, or would someone else take it over. And how would he feel seeing someone else permanently occupying that office. _C'mon, Rossi. You gotta stop thinking like that. Hotch will be found and found alive. To think any other way would cause doubt. Besides, you can't start thinking like Strauss because Aaron is alive and that video proves it despite what he's suffered so far._ Shaking his head, Rossi brought his mind back to reality and opened the door to Hotch's office and entered, closing the door behind him. Sitting behind the desk, he paused and took a deep breath before going through his friend's Rolodex until he found the name, address and phone number of Haley's parents in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He then picked up the telephone, pressed the buttons, then listened to the phone ring on the other end rehearsing in his own mind what he would say. He was still thinking when he heard a click on the other end and a familiar voice spoke.

_Brooks residence." _It was a feminine voice.

"Haley?"

"_Yes. Who's calling?" _She thought the male voice sounded familiar but she couldn't place it at the moment.

"Haley, it's David Rossi." He then heard the suspicion leave her voice and become friendly.

"_David, how are you?"_

Rossi didn't want to frighten her. "I'm fine. How are you and Jack? Your parents?"

"_We're all fine. Jack is having a ball here. I just wish Aaron could have come with us."_ Haley suddenly sensed something in his voice that made her suspect something wasn't right especially since nobody on the team ever called her except Aaron or unless something was very wrong or had happened to her husband.

_David, why are you calling me? Has something happened to Aaron? Is he all right?"_

Rossi took a deep breath then let it out. "Haley, I don't want you to be alarmed, but Aaron has been kidnapped." He didn't want to give her all the specifics over the phone. So, he would give her limited information.

"_What? Is Aaron all right? What's happened? Please, David, I have to know. Is he all right?"_

Rossi sighed. "Haley, we believe he's all right for now."

"_What do you mean by all right for now? Is he or isn't he?" _she interrupted in a state of near panic and worry.

"We believe he's being tortured by a kidnapper who blames him for convicting him when Aaron was a prosecutor. He's threatening to kill him when he's finished torturing him."

"_Oh my God!"_ Haley wailed; Rossi hearing the pain in her voice. _"Jack and I are leaving right away. We'll return as soon as I can get us out of here. I want to be there when you bring Aaron home."_

"No, Haley," Rossi said. "You and Jack should stay where you are for now. If you're here, you'll just worry and have to keep Jack from worrying about his dad. Staying with your family will at least give you somebody to lean on for now. Besides, there's nothing you can do here. We'll find him, Haley. We'll find Aaron; then you and Jack can come home."

Haley knew Rossi was right and was just looking out for her and Jack for Aaron. There was nothing she could do if she came home now. Also, she could be putting herself and Jack in danger if she returned and that wouldn't help anybody and could make things worse. What if this kidnapper was after her and Jack as well? No, she would stay with her parents for now.

"_All right. I'll do what you ask for now. Just promise me you'll find Aaron. Promise me that you'll find him and bring him home to us."_

"I promise you. We'll find Aaron and bring him home alive. You have my word."

* * *

Armitage re-entered the room where Aaron Hotchner was again lying on his back, restrained. He noticed Hotchner didn't look at him this time, but seemed to keep his eyes focused on the ceiling. He walked over to the bed and sat down. "Look at me, Aaron," he ordered.

"Go away," Hotch said not looking at the man.

Becoming angry, Armitage viciously backhanded the agent causing the partially healed cuts on his face to sting, and then slapped him again. But Hotch still refused to look at his captor.

" I _suggest_ you do as you're told, Aaron, if you know what's good for you."

"No."

With a sudden snarl, Armitage roughly grabbed Hotch's lower jaw and forcibly turned his face towards him so the agent had no choice but to look at him. "When I tell you to do something, you make sure you do it. Do we _understand _each other?"

"Go. To. Hell," Hotch accentuated each word.

Releasing his captive's jaw, Armitage sighed and reached into his pocket, removing the pocket knife and after opening it, held it up. He pressed the blade flat against Hotch's groin.

"Maybe I should remove one of these," he said calmly as he drew the blade back and forth across Hotch's testicles. He noticed the agent's eyes watching the blade, swallowing hard. Armitage then moved the blade and laid it flat against Hotch's penis. "Of course I could remove this instead and make you totally useless. But then your pretty little wife would be totally repulsed and disgusted that you could no longer satisfy her and seek to fulfill her needs elsewhere."

Hotch, who up to now had been tolerating his captor's torture and taunts, and had been struggling to control his temper to keep Armitage from escalating, momentarily lost that control. He glared at his captor. "Why would I care about satisfying my wife?" he interjected more harshly than he planned. "You planning on letting me go?"

Armitage raised his eyebrows in surprise at the agent's spirit; figuring he would have broken him by now. "You never know. Maybe I will and maybe I won't. Or maybe your team will find you in time." He smirked. "What's the matter, Aaron. You don't trust your team to find you ?"

Hotch didn't respond but continued staring at his captor. But he refused to let his captor see that he had struck a nerve with the agent. What if the team couldn't find him? What if Armitage refused to let him speak with his team and let them know where he was? Hotch silently told himself he might be on his own and have to try and get himself out; if not, he would never see his family or team again.

With a sigh, Armitage continued moving the blade around the agent's genital area. "Maybe I should remove everything and make you undesirable to all women period." He chuckled as he applied pressure with the blade watching Hotch wince. He removed the knife and gripped the handle tightly. "I guess I'll have to do this…." Armitage plunged the blade into Hotch's left shoulder with so much force, the blade was buried up to the hilt causing the agent to grit his teeth and hiss with pain as the blade was slowly pulled out. "And this." He then placed the tip on the right side of Hotch's throat resting it on his shoulder blade, and drew it lightly across his throat but leaving a thin line of red in it's wake as it just barely broke the skin but caused no serious injury.

Hotch grimaced as the blade made it's way across his throat. He figured he should consider himself fortunate Armitage didn't slice open his throat and let him simply bleed to death. "I'm sorry," he whispered hoping to put his captor at ease so he'd stop.

Armitage smiled as he ceased cutting and put his knife away. "Apology accepted," he said with a smirk. "Just keep in mind, Aaron, that I am in charge here and when I speak to you you'd better answer of suffer the consequences. Understand?"

Hotch swallowed despite the pain the cut across his throat caused. "I…understand. Won't…happen again."

"Good. Well, I must leave you to rest for awhile. Later this afternoon I want to call your team and see what their reaction is to the video of you enjoying my administrations before I let them hear you beg for them to save you and them knowing they can't. Should be amusing don't you think?"

Hotch ran his tongue over his dry lips. "Why do you want…me to…beg them…to…save me?"

"Why?" Armitage leaned forward and put his mouth close to Hotch's ear. "Because to have you beg them for help would embarrass and humiliate you. That's why." He chuckled. "But I really must go now." He got up and left the room leaving Hotch alone to suffer in silence from the pain in his throat. Now that he was alone, Hotch had a chance to go over what was happening and there was one thing of which he was now positive. His captor was beginning to spiral out of control and that wasn't a good thing to have happening. He also knew if Armitage continued spiraling, it wouldn't be long before he was dead. He knew it was more urgent than ever that he let his team know he was in Fairfax, Virginia so they could at least narrow their search area. Then an idea came to Hotch as to how he could let them know. And he'd do it when he hopefully spoke with his team.


	16. Chapter 16Hotch Sends a Clue

**A/N: Sorry this update was delayed, but I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel and I have to limit my time on the computer. Also, I was informed that Mistaken Identities was nominated for Best Team/Case Fic. My very first CM story. I am positively thrilled and thank all the readers for this honor.**

"_**The present is the ever moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lives hope" by Frank Lloyd Wright.**_

**Chapter 16-Hotch Sends a Clue**

Hotch ran a tongue over his dry lips while staring at the ceiling waiting; waiting for his captor to return from probably sending that video of him being molested and tortured to his team. He felt bad knowing they would see him in that condition being abused in every possible way, and he knew exactly what each one would be thinking when they did. JJ would be distraught; Garcia would be overcome with emotion; Prentiss would be trying to compartmentalize things; Morgan's temper would get the better of him; Rossi would internalize his anger. But the one he worried about the most was Reid. The young genius would take what's on the video the hardest as he knew the younger agent considered him a father figure, and that it would be hard for him to watch what was taking place. But Hotch also knew Rossi would keep them focused on trying to find him despite his own feelings. He swallowed the building lump in his throat and winced a bit at the discomfort from the cut on his throat. But as bad as things were right now, Hotch wasn't about to give up hope. He knew what he was going to do to give his team a clue where he was was definitely risky; especially if Armitage figured it out. And the man would probably kill him outright if he even suspected. But to Hotch, the chance to be a step closer to being rescued made what he had planned worth the risk. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the door open. Lifting his head slightly, he saw Armitage with an amused grin on his face, walking inside; he was holding a cell phone in his hand and a gun tucked in his waistband.

He checked his watch as he approached the bed. "I believe your team should have viewed the video I sent them by now," he said cheerfully sitting down on the bed. Reaching out a hand he gripped Hotch's jaw and turned the agent's head from side-to-side checking the cuts on the agent's face and throat, then the ones on his chest and his shoulder. The cuts to his face, chest and throat had stopped bleeding and seemed to be beginning to heal on their own; but the shoulder injury still slightly oozed blood. "No sign of infection yet anywhere. Wouldn't want you dying from infection first, now would we?" He chuckled. "But, first things first." Opening the cell phone, Armitage pressed the buttons and listened as the phone rang. After a few seconds….

"_Rossi…"_

"Agent Rossi, just the man I was hoping would answer."

"_What do you want, Armitage? If it's about that sick video you sent us…"_

"Let me simply say that I know Aaron enjoyed my administrations very much and wanted more. As you could see, he didn't even try and fight me, that's how badly he wanted me to fondle him. So let me assure you his next performance will be much more enjoyable for both of us. He'll give a performance even he won't believe he could."

"_You keep your damn hands off of him, you bastard! If you so much as touch him again…."_

"Tsk. Tsk. Now is that any way to talk to the man who holds Agent Hotchner's life in his hands? I know you don't want to antagonize me, because if you do, Agent Hotchner will suffer for your impertinence." There was a moment's silence on the other end.

"_You don't scare us, Armitage. We will find you. And when we do…."_

"Agent Rossi, right now I have a gun pointing at Agent Hotchner's head. One more outburst and I'll pull the trigger, and that will be the end of one very insignificant FBI agent. And you'll have nobody but yourself to blame."

"_I want to speak with Agent Hotchner."_

"Surprising you should ask that. Aaron wants to say something to you as well. I'll put him on." Armitage placed the phone against Hotch's ear as he pulled out his weapon and pointed it at the agent's head. "Talk to them and don't try anything or you'll regret it."

Hotch's eyes shifted momentarily to his captor. "Dave?"

"_Aaron? Are you all right? We saw the video. Just hang on a little while longer because we're coming to get you and bring you home."_

"I know you will. But should I not make it this time, take care of Jack and Haley for me."

"_Aaron, you'll be able to…."_

"Promise me, Dave." Hotch heard a sigh on the other end.

"_I promise."_

Hotch took in a deep breath and felt the mouth of the muzzle of the weapon press against his temple. "Dave, please. I'm _begging _you and the others to find me. Don't let me down. _Please _save me. I'm _begging _you."

Rossi knew his friend would never beg for his life, and sensed Armitage wanted him to beg as a form of humiliation. But he also sensed the Unit Chief was trying to secretly pass on information to him without Armitage noticing. He decided to play along.

"_I promise you we will. Just don't give up."_

Hotch noticed Armitage waving his weapon indicating he was to wrap up the conversation. "I have to go now, Dave. But I just need to know one last thing."

"_What is it?"_

"Have you spoken with Haley about what's happened?" Hotch figured it was now or never.

"_Yes. She's worried sick about you. But she and Jack are fine. I convinced her to stay at her parents' house."_

Hotch let out a deep breath. "Thank you. I know she'd want to help, but it's hard for her to fix things from afar." He prayed Rossi would catch the clue.

With a smirk, Armitage took the phone away. "So, did you have a nice chat with your boss, Agent Rossi?"

"_When we find you, Armitage, you will pay for what you've done."_

"That's _if_ you catch me. And that video I sent you is just the beginning. I will soon be sending you two more videos in a few days in which Aaron will be saying his goodbyes in one. He will die the following day. But now I must get off the phone as I have things to do. Goodbye."

* * *

"No, wait…." Rossi said but heard a click telling him the call had been disconnected. "Damn!" he muttered.

"What is it?" asked JJ who had been sitting at the table watching the older agent and catching only his side of the conversation, and from the look on his face, she suspected the news wasn't good. "Is Hotch all right?"

Rossi leaned forward on the table with both hands, palms flat. "We're running out of time, JJ." He repeated what Armitage had told him and noticed JJ cringe as he talked. Rossi slammed his fist down on the table. "And we're no closer now than before."

JJ tossed a loose strand of blond hair over her shoulder. "Dave, can we find him before it's too late? What I mean is…."

Rossi sighed suddenly very tired. "I can't afford to think otherwise," he said. His eyes suddenly narrowed as he recalled something. "I just remembered something. I think Aaron might have given me a clue as to where he was."

JJ looked hopeful. "What did he say?"

"He asked me if I had spoken with Haley and I told him I had and that she was worried about him. That's when he said something strange."

"Which was….?" JJ asked.

"He said he knew Haley would want to help, but it's hard for her to fix things from afar."

The blond media liaison looked at the older agent with confusion. "What does that mean? Hotch knows Haley can't help with a case."

"I know," Rossi slowly got to his feet and picking up a marker, approached the white message board and wrote word-for-word what Hotch had said. Putting the cap back on the marker, he stared at the words. "I can't help but feel there is a message somewhere in this sentence. But what?" He continued staring at the words, but darn if he could figure out what the message was that Hotch had managed to send. He now wished he had sent JJ to speak with Doctor Harbinger instead of Reid because if anybody could figure out the message it would be the young genius.

* * *

Armitage stared at Hotchner with an amused grin on his face. "Now see, Aaron," he began. "Begging your team to find you wasn't so bad now, was it?"

"Yes it was," Hotch said in a low voice hoping to keep his captor from suspecting anything. "It was embarrassing and humiliating. But that's what you wanted wasn't it?" he stared with anger at the man.

Armitage chuckled. "That's why I wanted to hear you say it. But enough of this chit-chat. I have some torture to prepare." That said, he got to his feet and walked out of the room leaving Hotch to wonder if the worse was yet to come.

He didn't have long to wait as Armitage, whistling, re-entered the room, and when Hotch noticed the average-size cardboard box he carried in his hands, he inwardly shuddered at what was awaiting him but kept his feelings hidden because he refused to show fear to his captor. He watched, face impassive, as his captor sat the box beside him on the bed just far enough away so that he couldn't see the contents. He watched as Armitage reached inside and removed a strange looking device that had a two-pronged fork on each end with a collar of some kind.

"You'd be amazed at the things one can find if one knows where to look. This is a Heretics Fork. And while it doesn't harm any vital organs or cause death, it does prolong pain." Armitage then proceeded to fasten the collar around Hotch's neck and one fork penetrated the flesh under his chin while the other end his upper chest. "I must warn you if you try moving your neck it'll just cause the prongs to dig in deeper and cause more pain." Forced by the device to keep his head erect, Hotch allowed his eyes only to shift as he tried to see what Armitage would pull out of the box next. Again he didn't have long to wait.

Armitage pulled out something which looked, to Hotch, like ten metallic wedges of some kind. He had a suspicion as to what they were for. Armitage took one wedge at a time and shoved them beneath the nail of each toe on Hotch's feet causing the agent to squeeze his eyes tightly shut and hiss from the pain while unintentionally moving his head causing the prongs to dig further into his chin and upper chest. "I think this is called Toe Wedging. I understand it's quite painful."

Hotch could only whimper from the pain in both feet as well as his chin and upper chest. And despite his best efforts, single tears emerged from the corners of each eye and rolled down the side of his face landing on the pillow. He hurt so much he barely heard his captor calling out to him.

"Aaron? I suggest you open your eyes. Wouldn't want to miss this."

Hotch forced his eyes to open making sure to keep perfectly still. He noticed Armitage holding what appeared to be a holy water sprinkler in one hand, and a saucepan with something hot in it as he noticed steam rising. His eyes shifted from the sprinkler to the saucepan and back to the sprinkler.

* * *

Rossi had been staring at the words from Hotch for over an hour and was no closer to figuring out the hidden message than he was earlier; JJ was still seated at the conference table preparing for the press conference taking place in about ninety minutes. Both turned around when they heard voices behind them and saw Prentiss and Morgan approaching, both agents looking frustrated.

"Well?" asked Rossi suspecting bad news.

"Doctor Morrow checked all his records and there was nothing for a Jason Armitage nor anybody even related to him," replied a frustrated Morgan.

"Same with Doctor Dexter," added Prentiss dismally. Both agents noticed the writing on the message board. "What's this?" she asked.

"We got another phone call from our UnSub while you and Morgan were gone," Rossi said. He went on to repeat the conversation with Armitage and ending with his conversation with Hotchner and how he suspected their Unit Chief had hidden a clue to his whereabouts in the sentence written on the board.

Prentiss and Morgan were both speechless for a few seconds.

"That means Hotch is running out of time," Prentiss stammered. "Armitage could kill him anytime."

"We gotta find him and soon, Rossi," Morgan chimed in with a pained look on his face.

Prentiss moved closer to the message board and studied each word in the sentence. "Any luck finding the hidden message?" she asked looking at him.

"I've been staring at this sentence for more than an hour with no luck whatsoever," Rossi replied in exasperation.

"Where's Reid?" asked Morgan folding his arms. "If there's a hidden message there he'll find it."

Rossi checked his watch and exhaled. "He's not back yet," he announced. "I hope that means Doctor Harbinger has some useful information about Armitage. We have less than two hours before the press conference."

Morgan sighed. Just then his cell rang, and the agent noticed it was Garcia. He answered the call.

"Hold on baby girl while I put you on speaker," he said. "Okay, go ahead."

"Just wanted to let you know, my chocolate God, that I checked out that security tape over and over again, and enhanced it as much as I could. There's no clear view of the courier who delivered the envelope from the UnSub. Sorry."

Morgan sighed, frustrated. "Okay. Thanks anyway, baby girl."

"I feel like I'm letting the boss man down," Garcia said apologetically. Morgan could hear the tremor in her voice. "Derek, please tell me you're getting close to finding him. Tell me you're going to bring our liege back alive."

"We're doing everything we can, sweetness," Morgan told her. "You just keep thinking positive and Hotch will be back before you know it."

"I'm trying, but it's hard, Derek."

"I know, baby girl. Believe me I know. But we will find him. I promise. Besides, have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"No, but…."

"No buts, Garcia. You just keep telling yourself Hotch is alive and we're gonna find 'im."

"I believe and trust you. Thanks. Garcia out." Morgan put away his cell after Garcia disconnected the call.

Just then, as if on queue, one of the double doors of the BAU opened and an out-of-breath Spencer Reid walked briskly into the office. He had a slight smile on his face. The younger agent seemed excited about something.

"Somebody looks happy," JJ said with a smile.

"I hope from your expression it means you have good news," Rossi stated.

"I do," Reid began once he had caught his breath. "Dr. Harbinger checked his computer files and never treated a Jason Armitage, but he did treat a Ruth Bellows. He took over the practice from his partner, the late Doctor Morris Stoddard who Garcia and I dismissed as he was deceased. But we didn't notice it because the practice is still under his name."

"Who's Ruth Bellows?" asked Prentiss.

Reid turned towards the raven-haired agent. "The late mother of Jason Armitage. Seems like Doctor Harbinger treated her for several years for epileptic seizures and prescribed Phenobarbital until she developed kidney problems and was confined to bed in her home and hooked up to a dialysis machine. According to the records, as she was confined to bed, the doctor ordered a bed for her similar to the ones you find in a hospital."

"Like the one we noticed in the video," Prentiss remarked.

"Exactly," Reid continued. "The restraining straps however can be purchased separately. But as I was saying, Harbinger lost track of Ruth Bellows after she married Arnold Armitage and moved away. Last known address he had was in Alexandria, Virginia. I called Garcia while en-route back here and had her check if there was a current address, but the home Arnold and Ruth Armitage lived in was partially destroyed by a suspicious fire three years ago and later demolished. The insurance company investigated suspecting arson but nothing was ever proven so they were forced to pay Armitage. Also, Arnold Armitage died from a stroke six months ago. Jason was their only child. But Garcia also noticed something odd."

"And what was that?" asked Rossi, feeling hopeful all of a sudden.

"Just before their house was destroyed by fire, Garcia found out that Ruth Bellows left her husband and son, changed her name, and disappeared leaving no address. I asked Garcia to continue checking to try and locate Ruth Bellows."

Morgan smiled. "That's great work, kid," he said gripping the young profiler's shoulder. "Maybe this is the break we've been looking for."

Reid smiled faintly. "It'll be great only if it saves Hotch's life. Did Garcia find anything on the security tape regarding the courier?" He saw Morgan shake his head negatively. Then, his eyes fell on the message board behind Rossi; his eyes narrowed. "What's this?" he asked stepping closer and looking at the words. He continued looking while listening to Rossi repeat the conversations he had. Reid stroked his chin. "So you think Hotch hid a message in this sentence?" he asked not looking at the older agent.

"That's what I'm thinking and hoping," was Rossi's reply.

Reid, still studying the message, took the marker from Rossi's hand. He lined out everything but two words: _'fix'_ _and 'afar'_. Then, he rearranged the letters in the two words. Once finished, he stepped back. "It's an anagram," he finally said. The others looked at the board.

The rearranged letters spelled out one word: FAIRFAX.


	17. Chapter 17A New Video and Clue

****Because of the explicit sexual abuse here, this story now requires an M-rating. But there will be no more sexual abuse after this chapter.*****

**Chapter 17-A New Video and Clue**

Rossi, Morgan, JJ and Prentiss all stared at the board as Reid took a step back. Their young genius had made finding the hidden message so simple it was embarrassing.

"Fairfax?" asked Morgan with arched eyebrows. "But we already suspected that's where Armitage took Hotch from the burned remnants of the map we found in Shane Cooper's garage."

"Not really," Reid explained. "Yes, we suspected that's where he _might_ have taken Hotch. But with this anagram, Hotch confirms what we already suspected. Now we know for sure. Also, Hotch would have no way of knowing we suspected that's where he is."

"So now we can focus our search on Fairfax," said Rossi wrapping his arms around himself. "Somewhere there Aaron's being held. Now we only have to figure out where."

Just then the desk phone rang; the caller ID showed it was Garcia. Morgan pressed a button. "Go ahead, Garcia. I've got you on speaker. Tell us what you found on Ruth Bellows."

"_Be patient oh sexy, handsome chocolate God_. _Your all-knowing, all-powerful Goddess is still searching, but thought you might want to know what I've found so far."_

Despite the seriousness of things, Morgan still had to smirk. "Sorry, sweet thing. But time is of the essence right now. What have you got so far?"

"_Okay. Ruth Bellows had been suffering from kidney trouble and was hooked up to a dialysis machine and confined to bed. After several months a match was found for her failing kidneys and a kidney transplant was performed from which she recovered fully enough to be removed from dialysis and live somewhat of a normal life again. About two or three months later she got a job with the local electric company where she began a torrid affair with her boss, the late Melvin Daley, where she worked as his receptionist. He left his wife after becoming involved with her, and she left her son in the care of her mother and told nobody she was moving out of the home she shared with her husband. Her husband found out about the affair and threatened to kill her and her lover. So she waited until her husband had left for work one day, then she and Daley went to the house so she could pick up the rest of her things when a suspicious fire suddenly broke out while they were in the house. It started in the basement and rapidly spread nearly destroying the entire house. She and Daley barely escaped the inferno. But the blaze was chalked up to faulty wiring by the insurance investigators and the fire department and as Armitage was still residing there at the time of the blaze, he received a check in the amount of four hundred grand when arson could not be proven."_

"How did Melvin Daley die?" Rossi interrupted.

"_Car accident due to faulty brakes. An investigation by local police didn't reveal anything suspicious except a loss of brake fluid due to a leak. The final report determined it to be an accident." _

"How much do you want to bet that loss of brake fluid wasn't an accident despite what the police may believe?" asked Rossi looking at the others grimly.

"What about Ruth Bellows, Garcia?" asked Reid leaning forward with his hands on the table. "What happened to her after the death of Melvin Daley?"

"_That's what I'm still checking into, my young genius. It was right after Daley's death that Ruth Bellows discovered she was pregnant by Daley and gave birth to a daughter whom she named Ruthanne. Now this is where things get confusing so pay attention. Ruth Bellows began having kidney trouble again and had herself admitted to the local hospital where she later died from kidney failure. But before her death she gave her daughter to Daley's parents who knew nothing of her husband, to raise as their own. But as the Daleys didn't know anything about Arnold or Jason Armitage, they didn't think anything of it when Jason showed interest in Ruthanne and she in him. When she was of legal age and following the death of Daley's parents, Jason Armitage married Ruthanne Bellows and they had one child, a son named Tyler. But he became abusive towards her according to the numerous police reports filed, and eventually she left him but had to leave her son behind as she was unable to care for an infant, changed her name so he couldn't find her, and vanished."_

"Any idea where to?" asked Prentiss.

"_I hate to say this, but I don't know. Also, there's no property listed under either Ruthanne's name or the Daleys. And the only property under Armitage's name was the house that burned down. I also checked under the maiden name of Ruth Bellows and found nothing. But I'm still looking though. But it would help if I knew what Ruthanne changed her name to."_

"Unfortunately we don't have that information, Garcia," Morgan sadly replied. "But if anybody can find out it's you, baby girl, so keep looking. And Garcia…."

"_Yes, my handsome champion of the people_?"

"Get back to us as soon as you find _anything_. Hotch may be running out of time."

"_I shall look under every rock until I find something. There will be no escape from the all-powerful Goddess of the all-knowing. Garcia out." _The call was disconnected.

Morgan exhaled through his nose and folded his arms. "I'm willing to bet Armitage's father probably killed his wife's lover and started that fire. I'm also willing to bet Jason Armitage took after his father seeing as he faked his own death and the only person who could expose him was his wife who's also dead." His eyes fell on Reid and noticed the younger agent's odd expression. "What is it, kid? You look like you got something on your mind."

Reid massaged his chin and looked as if he didn't hear a word Morgan had said.

"Spence?" asked JJ, worried by the odd expression on Reid's face.

"I wonder…." Reid softly said as he removed the cap from the marker he still held and wrote the name RUTHANNE BELLOWS on the message board. He stared at the name for what seemed like forever to the other agents before he started rearranging letters, and crossing out the identical letters in the name as he used each letter. Finally, after a few seconds, Reid took a step back and looked at what he had come up with. He looked at the others before turning back to the conference table, pressing several buttons on the desk phone, and waiting as the phone rang on the other end. There was a click on the third ring.

"_Office of the all-powerful Penelope Garcia. Speak and ye shall be heard."_

"Garcia, it's Reid. I need you to check a name for me."

"_But of course my young genius."_

"I need you to check the name Rena Hunt Boswell for me. I'll hold on."

"_Just give me a minute…."_

Reid and the others heard the clicking of Garcia's fingers on her keyboard as they waited as she was on the speaker.

"_Bingo. Rena Hunt Boswell lived in Fairfax, Virginia until her own death, a few months after the death of her boyfriend, Dane Lyle Vim."_

"Now pull up her birth and death certificates, Garcia, along with the birth certificate of Ruthanne Bellows," Reid requested. After a few more seconds….

"_Now this is weird. Rena Hunt Boswell's birth certificate contains identical information as that of Ruthanne Bellows. But how can that be?"_

A slight smile began to form on Reid's lips. "That's because Rena Hunt Boswell is an anagram for Ruthanne Bellows, and Dane Lyle Vim is the anagram for her father Melvin Daley."

"Wait a minute…." began Prentiss, confused, as she looked at Reid. "Are you and Garcia both saying that Jason Armitage married his mother's daughter by another man and had a child with her?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Reid replied. "It also makes sense that before Armitage faked his own death that he killed his wife knowing she was the daughter of his mother and her lover. I believe the knowledge of his mother's affair and her giving birth to a child as a result of that affair was the original stressor. He saw his mother's affair as a betrayal of his father and sought revenge."

"_But how does Hotch fit into everything?"_ asked Garcia.

"From what I read of the case file, Armitage's four-year old son Tyler was killed by a pedophile who lived in the area. But a neighbor, Stanley Hufferson, was accused of the crime after leading police directly to the body which he had found earlier. The local police investigated and Hufferson was cleared as there was no evidence proving he had done anything. But Armitage killed Hufferson believing he had murdered his son; Hotch prosecuted him and got a conviction. Armitage believed Hotch let his child's killer get away by not pursuing a case against Hufferson but prosecuting him instead. That was when he decided to get revenge on Hotch," Reid explained. "The death of his young son was the secondary stressor."

JJ shook her blond head. "Sounds like this Jason Armitage is more twisted than we originally thought."

Morgan bit his lower lip. "Hey, sweet cheeks, do you have an address for a residence under Boswell or Vim?"

"_Nothing regarding an address under any name in Fairfax. But I'll keep looking. Garcia out." _The call was disconnected.

* * *

Hotch winced in pain as drops of boiling oil were released from the holy water-like sprinkler and landed on every patch of bare skin he had. And with the Heretics Fork still in place, Hotch tried his best not to move his neck despite the pain from the droplets as they landed on his body. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut from the pain. He recalled watching Armitage pour the hot oil into one end of the sprinkler and then began to shake it enabling the hot oil to rush to the other end where they fell on every part of his body causing whimpers of pain. Hotch gritted his teeth to keep from crying out. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the drops of oil stopped.

Opening his eyes slowly, Hotch noticed Armitage standing beside the bed with an amused grin on his face. Then, suddenly laughing out loud, he turned and walked out of the room; his demonic laughter echoing as he got further and further away from the room Hotch was in.

A feeling of despair began to come over the agent as did the pain caused by the oil. He didn't know how much more he could endure before he gave up and begged for a release from all the pain. But as those thoughts permeated his mind, so did other thoughts; thoughts of seeing the two most important people in his life again. Thoughts of taking Haley in his arms and making slow, passionate love to her, and of holding his son in his arms and hugging him tightly. _I can't give up, _he told himself. _I have to fight with everything I have to survive. _Hotch was not a very religious man, but he inwardly found himself praying for the strength to hold on and withstand whatever his captor did to him. His quiet praying was interrupted by the sound of returning footsteps. Unable to lift his head, Hotch managed to move his eyes just a bit and noticed Armitage, wearing a robe, re-entering the room holding the tripod and video camera and knew what was going to happen.

"It's show time again, Aaron," Armitage stated as he set up his equipment; he then put a blank CD into the slot. Reaching into one pocket of the robe, he removed the remote control for the stun belt and, aiming it at Hotch, pressed the button causing the agent to whimper and hiss with pain as the prongs of the Heretics Fork dug further into his flesh. While Hotch was incapacitated, Armitage undid one buckle holding his arm and pushed the agent onto his side again and handcuffed his free wrist to the bed frame. Then he proceeded to do the same thing with one leg until Hotch was facing the camera again. The profiler continued to whimper as Armitage put on the 'Lone Ranger' mask again. Sitting on the edge of the bed behind Hotch, he grabbed the elastic of the agent's boxers and pulled them down to his knees. "You're going to give your team the performance of your life. And your performance will also be your ultimate humiliation because you will lose complete control and your team will see it." Getting slowly to his feet, Armitage peeled off the robe and dropped it onto the floor; he had on only his own boxers and nothing else other than the mask. Walking around the bed until he reached the video camera, he pressed the 'on' button before returning to the bed and laying down behind Hotch again wrapping an arm around his waist pulling the agent's body close to his and with his hand, grabbed Hotch's penis and proceeded to stroke it with purpose all the while planting wet, sloppy kisses on the agent's neck and shoulder while chuckling the entire time.

Hotch closed his eyes as he felt tears stinging his eyes. He was so tired and in so much pain, he didn't think at this moment he had any strength left with which to fight despite what he prayed for. He was feeling so dirty and used right now he seriously doubted any amount of bathing would erase the feeling of his captor's hands roaming over his body. Hotch felt his manhood beginning to show signs of life which only added to the shame and humiliation he felt when he opened his eyes and they fell on the flashing red light on the recorder knowing that his reaction was being filmed for prosperity and would be sent to his team for them to see which would add to his shame.

"Don't do this," Hotch found himself begging for the first time in his life, and even now, couldn't believe these words were being uttered by him. "Please don't do this." But his words fell on deaf ears as Armitage continued pumping his penis which was becoming partially hard and slightly enlarged. His captor stopped his kissing motions and rested his chin on Hotch's shoulder, gazing down at the agent's face after licking his neck and cheek.

"I can't stop. You're just so damn irresistible, Aaron," Armitage murmured softly with a touch of sarcasm. "I may not be into men, but I just can't keep my hands off of you. Now, let's show your team some real action." That said, Armitage shifted his body until his upper half leaned over Hotch's injured shoulder and pressed down on it causing a yelp of pain from the agent. He whimpered but determined not to cry out; the pressure of his captor's weight on his shoulder caused the Heretics Fork to dig further into his flesh and he felt himself about to pass out from the pain.

Armitage reached his other arm across Hotch's body and reaching out, grabbed his balls giving them a fierce squeeze which caused the agent to shut his eyes and bite his lower lip so hard he tasted blood in his mouth. Hotch could now feel his body betraying him and he hated it. Used to being a man of and in control, losing control of his own body was disturbing and humiliating at the same time. For somebody who wasn't into men, Armitage seemed to know what to do to force his body to betray him. Despite his best effort not to, Hotch could feel his orgasm rapidly coming on as Armitage continued pumping away with no intention of letting up.

Suddenly, warm liquid covered part of his body and the bed as he lost control completely. Tears of shame slowly rolled down his face from his eyes. It galled him that his captor was using his own body as a means of torturing him. But there was nothing he could do about it except endure and try to survive. As a way of enduring, Hotch forced himself to think of this ultimate violation happening to someone else; someone he couldn't see rather than himself. Not that he would ever wish this humiliation on anybody. After he felt his penis beginning to go flaccid, he just stared into space and didn't utter a sound. Not that he didn't have anything to say, he just didn't feel like conversation.

Armitage leaned his mouth close to Hotch's ear. "You aren't done performing for the camera, Aaron." He then chuckled sadistically. Getting no response from his captive, Armitage watched the profiler's face as he roughly shoved a non-lubricated finger into his captive's anus soon followed by a second and then a third finger. Hotch flinched from the burning sensation caused by the invasion of the fingers, and tried to move away but one arm was again wrapped around his waist pulling him close to his assailant. Hotch whimpered as he hated what was being done to him; he absolutely hated it. Hated it with every fiber of his being. He gasped at the pain being caused by the three fingers forcing their way inside his anus. As Hotch felt the fingers moving in and out of him, he heard a chuckle from behind him.

"You like this don't you, Aaron? I knew you were holding out on me acting like you didn't like it. Well, let's go for the gusto." With that, Armitage inserted a fourth finger hearing Hotch gasp again from the pain and continued manipulating his fingers knowing what would eventually happen. He felt his captive's orifice shut tightly on his fingers but it didn't stop him from bringing on more humiliation and shame to the agent. Despite knowing his fingers by not being lubricated and being forced inside a small opening was causing great pain, Armitage didn't pull out. Instead, he folded his thumb inside his fingers creating an elongated fist and pushed his entire hand inside Hotch's body which caused Hotch to cry out from this painful invasion of his body as he felt Armitage 'fisting' him. He hated it and tried to pull away but couldn't because he was being tightly held by his captor and forced nearly onto his stomach to allow the 'fisting' to be caught on film. Armitage seemed to lose himself in what he was doing to Hotch; his sole objective now to cause as much humiliation, shame and pain as possible for his prisoner.

Hotch now had sweat streaming down his face as having his captor's entire hand inside his anus was enormously painful. His body and anus were not relaxed, nor had his opening been stretched gradually, and the forcing of a fist in his anus was unbearable. It hurt; God how it hurt! And besides the pain of his anus feeling like it was being ripped apart, the full feeling caused by an entire hand inside of him was excruciating. He felt like worms were crawling around inside.

"You are a tease, aren't you, Aaron?" asked Armitage was a smirk as he continued making pumping movements with his hand inside of his captive while continuing to tickle his prostate which was causing Hotch unwanted pleasure to sweep through him.

Hotch suddenly felt his manhood beginning to react as a pleasurable warmth overcame his entire body, and knew his body was betraying him again. Then Armitage, using the arm holding Hotch close, reached below and grabbed his penis again and began to stroke it. He was now working his captive from both ends; fisting him anally while stroking his penis fully aware that would cause the agent to respond with extreme pleasure which would be forever captured on film while at the same time feeling shame and humiliation at the pleasure he felt.

Armitage remembered when what he was doing to Hotch had been done to him; the rape, the fisting, all against his will. But he had to marvel that despite the great pain the fisting caused him, the pleasure he felt when his prostate was touched was indescribable. He remembered how he had been held down by several prisoners in the shower that day and one of the older prisoners roughly inserted his fingers into his anus before working his entire hand inside him while at the same time stroking him. After that, he was then raped by the same man.

So while he wasn't able to rape Hotch by forcing his own penis inside him, he knew what the fisting and stroking would do to him. After all, hadn't he just gotten Hotch to totally lose bodily control earlier? And the knowledge that the agent's entire team would see what was taking place now knowing the shame, pain, humiliation, and degradation the profiler would feel, combined with the knowledge of feeling pleasure at the same time, would be his crowning achievement concerning the torture. The _final_ torture!

* * *

Hotch had been left alone in the room for the last hour. Now lying on his back again with the restraints back in place, he was grateful for this time alone. Staring into space with a blank expression, he faintly recalled the feeling of Armitage getting up from the bed, turning off the video camera, and leaving the room with the CD. He hated how Armitage had made him feel during this recording. He felt so dirty and used. He barely remembered everything the man had done to him this go-around including losing control of his body twice. He didn't even recall the backhand he had received before Armitage left the room which momentarily stunned him as his head snapped to the side following the blow. But about the only thing he did recall was that his team would see everything this time. They would see him losing control of his body twice. What would they think of him? He didn't have to think long for an answer. Once they saw that video they would know he had not only lost control, but that he had been broken. They might even question his ability to lead them. Losing control not once, but twice, had to be the most humiliating and degrading thing he had endured. _How can I ever face them again once they see that video? Perhaps it would be better if Armitage just kills me so I won't have to face them and see the pity and loathing on their faces. And what will Haley think of me once she finds out? She won't want anything to do with me or want to touch me even if she gets past what he did to my face._

Then he thought of Jack. Jack would never pity or loath him; he was too young to understand thankfully. In fact, it was thoughts of his son that gave Hotch just enough strength back to want to fight again. But for now during this alone time, he closed his eyes and allowed the tears of shame and humiliation to trickle down from the corners of his eyes.


	18. Chapter 18The Opinion of Six

**Chapter 18-The Opinion of Six**

Rossi, Morgan, JJ and Prentiss were all seated at the conference table pouring over the information they had collected from the start to see is there was anything they might have missed that might give them a clue as to where in Fairfax Hotch might be. JJ had decided to rejoin the others after the press conference so she could help find her boss and friend. Her mind only returning for a brief moment to the press conference in which she showed two photos of Jason Armitage: one before and one after he had changed his appearance along with a photo of Aaron Hotchner, and gave the number to an FBI tip line for the public to call in with any information. She had been instructed by Rossi just before she went in front of the media to omit any information about Fairfax as that he was positive Armitage would be monitoring the investigation and watching the press conference, and if any mention was made of Fairfax, he might just move Hotch somewhere else where they might not find him, or kill him immediately then disappear, and they needed all the time they could get to try and find him. So as she spoke to the media, JJ reminded herself not to mention anything about Fairfax, Virginia. Spencer Reid, on the other hand, had gone to Garcia's office to try and help her find an address where Armitage might have Hotch hidden.

After about an hour, Rossi leaned back in his chair and exhaled through his nose before running both hands down his face. He had looked through the paperwork for so long that the information was becoming blurred and boring. Looking wearily around he noticed the others watching him with the same looks on their faces. He quickly realized they didn't have any more luck than he had.

"I gather from all your expressions that none of you had anymore luck than I did," he finally said.

"Looking at this stuff over and over isn't getting us anywhere fast," Morgan agreed shoving the folder with the paperwork away from him. "There's nothing in any of this that even remotely tells us where that bastard's holding Hotch."

"Don't tell me we're giving up?" asked a distraught JJ looking from Morgan to Rossi.

"The hell we are," Morgan replied firmly. "All I'm saying is that we're not gonna find what we need in any of the information we have here."

"So where do we look then?" asked Prentiss as she brushed a long strand of dark hair out of her eyes.

Rossi wrapped his arms around himself and thought for a few seconds. "Well, we have two possibilities to find Hotch. One, Armitage said he would be sending us two more videos. We can hope he will call after sending the next one and that Hotch can give us another clue…"

"Or we can hope Reid and Garcia can find something," Morgan added grimly. "Other than that…I don't know."

"Maybe someone will call the tip line and we'll catch a break," Prentiss added.

Just then, Rossi noticed one of the double doors to the BAU swung open and Reid, followed by a weeping Garcia, entered and quickly approached the others. Reid was holding an envelope similar to the one he recognized from days before and had a nagging fear what it was judging by Garcia's reaction. Reid, looking more stricken than Rossi could ever recall seeing him, handed the envelope to JJ. "This just came about an hour ago addressed to me," he said shakily. "I think you'd better see it."

"What's on it?" Prentiss asked, worried.

"Hotch."

"You all right, baby girl?" Morgan asked Garcia who was wiping her eyes with a hand.

"Yes…no…Derek, I…I can't watch it again. It's too horrible. What he does to Hotch…excuse me, but I have to leave." Garcia abruptly turned and nearly ran from the conference room as fast as she could with one hand over her mouth and tears rolling down her cheeks; her sobs could be heard as she hurried away.

JJ sat back down beside Reid after she had inserted the DVD in the machine and pressed 'play' on the remote.

From the moment the first image appeared on the screen, what the agents saw stunned them more than the actions of any UnSub ever had.

"_Don't do this. Please don't do this."_

"_I can't stop. You're just so damn irresistible, Aaron. I may not be into men, but I can't keep my hands off of you. Now let's show your team some real action."_

They saw Hotch's pain from what they all knew was a Heretics Fork and they knew the pain it could cause a person. Then they saw their stoic leader lose control over his own body. JJ turned away from the screen, tears in her eyes while Prentiss covered her mouth with a hand. Reid swallowed the lump in his throat, his eyes bright with unshed tears, while Rossi's face remained impassive. Only Morgan was doing a slow burn by what he was seeing; his inner rage knew no limits and was growing by the moment.

"_You aren't done performing for the camera, Aaron."_

"_You like this, don't you, Aaron? I knew you were holding out on me acting like you didn't like it. Well, let's go for the gusto."_

"Oh my God!" JJ cried looking at the screen again. "What is he doing?"

"It's called fisting," Morgan answered her in a voice full of rage_. _The others saw his face twisted with more anger than they ever had before. They all knew Morgan was a volatile individual. He couldn't get the image of the pain on Hotch's face from what Armitage was doing to him; the begging his boss had done in the beginning but to no avail out of his mind. He swore when they found him, Armitage was a dead man.

"_You're such a tease, aren't you, Aaron?"_

In the end, they saw their leader lose control again. Once the video ended, JJ weakly pressed the 'stop' button, tossed the remote on the table, and put a hand to her head as her lower lip trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks from what she had just seen. There was silence among the group as each of them was lost in his or her own thoughts over what they had witnessed. Finally, Rossi let out a deep breath and spoke without looking at anybody or anything, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

"When we find Armitage, he won't live long enough to see the inside of a prison cell because I'm gonna break his fucking neck."

"Not if I get to him first," Morgan added with a cold voice but rage-filled eyes.

* * *

JJ sat in her office with the door closed and locked from the inside. Right now she didn't want to see much less speak with anybody. She buried her head in her hands and began to cry softly. She could still see the pain, the shame, and the humiliation on Hotchner's face in the video. She could still hear his voice pleading with his captor not to do what he eventually did to him. And she could still see Armitage sexually assaulting Hotch anyway despite his pleas. Pressing her hands together, JJ put her fingertips against her chin and turned towards the window; she stared out not really looking at anything in particular.

"Hotch, I'm so sorry we couldn't find you before this bastard did what he did to you. Please forgive us," she said softly to her own reflection in the glass. She knew her boss and friend couldn't hear what she was saying, but she prayed that at least he would 'feel' her thoughts. Her phone rang but she ignored it after checking the caller ID and not recognizing the caller. She wanted to be alone with her thoughts right now and let the voice-mail answer the call. "Hotch, promise me you won't give up," she said lifting her red, wet eyes to the heavens. "Just don't give up. Please. We're coming for you. Oh God!" She wiped the tears from her eyes and cupped her chin in one hand as she went back to staring out the window. Her phone had stopped ringing and the voice-mail had since recorded the message, but JJ didn't really care. All that mattered now was one Aaron Hotchner.

She began to wonder when they finally found Hotch would he ever again be the man she had worked for the last five years, or would he be just an empty shell never again to be the stoic team leader she and the others all relied on. These were answers JJ didn't have; but what she was positive of was that regardless, when they got Hotch back, she would make sure he knew he could count on her to be there for him and help him find himself again. That was all that mattered to her now; finding her friend and standing by him even if he was too ashamed or humiliated to ask for her help. It didn't matter to JJ because she had made up her mind and would be there for her boss throughout his recovery and let him know she still believed in and trusted him.

* * *

Rossi sat alone in his office with the door closed and the blinds pulled in an attempt to shut out the world after seeing that recording of what his best friend who he thought of more as a son had been subjected to. The pain on Hotch's face and the look of complete despair was permanently etched into his brain. Rossi swore as long as he lived he would never forget that look. But he also wouldn't forget something else he saw on Hotch's face; and that was the look of self-loathing.

Leaning back in his chair with folded arms, the older agent stared at a spot on the wall. He had an inkling of what his friend was feeling besides self-loathing; and that was shame, humiliation, and embarrassment of having his team see him lose control over his own body. Rossi knew for a man like Aaron Hotchner who depended so much on being in control, having his control snatched away from him so violently by someone who used Hotch's own body as a means by which to do it, would be something he wondered if his friend would ever be able to recover from. Rossi didn't have to even think about what he would do when they found Hotch because he already made up his mind. He didn't doubt for a moment that he would be there for his best friend even if he didn't want him to. He would be there until Hotch recovered no matter how long it took, and even afterward. As far as he was concerned, he would make sure Hotch knew he still considered him the leader of the team no matter what and that he was just holding down the fort until Hotch returned.

"And you will be back, my friend," Rossi murmured to nobody. "Nothing that bastard did to you will ever change that. You are this team's leader and I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure you never forget that. I always promised to watch your back, and I let you down. I let you down this time by not finding you before this slimy bastard caused you to feel what you must be feeling." He exhaled deeply. "And for that, Aaron, I am so, so sorry. I only hope one day you can forgive me because I sure as hell will never forgive myself."

Rossi sadly shook his head as he massaged his forehead. Even if by some miracle Hotch forgave him for failing to watch his back this time, the older agent wasn't sure he could ever forgive himself. He would never forget how he and Morgan were sitting in an SUV outside the home of the widow of a murdered attorney, and Armitage had taken Hotch within the fifteen minutes he was inside the woman's home. Fifteen minutes! Fifteen minutes for which Rossi knew he would never forgive himself for no matter what.

* * *

Derek Morgan sat at the table alone in the conference room with his head in his hands. He knew what he saw on the video would stay with him the rest of his life. He would never forget the look on the face of his boss and friend; the look of humiliation and despair and one other thing, his pain-filled eyes staring into space. He knew he was to blame for Hotch even being in the position he was in. All because he and Rossi were waiting for their supervisor outside a house in an SUV instead of going inside with him. Morgan could never forgive himself for not accompanying his boss into the house, especially since he had been threatened by an UnSub and he knew it at the time.

"Hotch," he murmured softly to the open air. "I will never forgive myself for what Armitage has done to you." He wiped at something in his eye not caring at the moment if anybody saw or said anything. It hurt more than he could ever imagine it would. He recalled the smug grin on Armitage's face on the video while he was all over Hotch. "I promise you, man, if it's the last thing I do, that sick, twisted, fucking bastard is gonna pay for what he's done to you. I let you down by not going with you into that house when you were to meet with Mrs. Brennaman. I made a mistake and now you're paying for it." He hung his head and massaged his eyes. The guilt was overpowering and ran deep.

Clenching his jaw until he could feel his teeth grinding, Morgan made a promise to himself. When they got Hotch back, he wasn't going to let him out of his sight again. And another promise he made to himself was that he would be there for his boss no matter how long his recovery took, and would make certain Hotch knew that what was done to him in no way, changed Morgan's opinion of him. That he was still the man he wanted to emulate and make proud. Also, as far as he was concerned, Hotch was still this team's Unit Chief and leader, and nothing or no-one would ever change that. And he would make certain that he made his boss aware he still had his utmost respect and that there was nobody who he wanted for a boss but him; no matter how long it would take. That and owing him an apology for letting him down.

* * *

Garcia was sitting at her computer table but wasn't paying any attention to what was showing on the screen in front of her nor on the screens of the other monitors around and near her. She couldn't concentrate right now, and wasn't sure when she would be able to. She had always tried to find the good in people, even the UnSubs she knew her team confronted. But Jason Armitage had no good in him; he was pure evil inside and out. Even though she wasn't a profiler, Garcia had had a bad feeling when the door to her office had opened and the man who delivered their mail, noticing Spencer Reid sitting beside her, mentioned he had an envelope for the young genius, and handed him what appeared to be an insulated envelope and left.

Opening the envelope, Reid removed a diamond case containing a DVD and put it inside the slot of the computer in front of her, and pressed 'play.' The minute the first image showed, Garcia nearly became sick to her stomach. Eventually the more she watched the more ill she became. To see her boss, friend, and a man she both admired and had the deepest respect for treated the way he was broke her heart. She knew, _hell, _they all knew how proud a man Aaron Hotchner was and how in control he was. And to have that control ripped from him so violently and by using his own body as a means of ripping that control away, was more than she could stomach. Seeing him looking so helpless, so vulnerable, so defenseless, so…so broken, forced new tears to start falling down her cheeks. She wiped them away only to have fresh ones replace them. And what Armitage did to Hotch at the end made her want to lose the contents of her stomach but somehow managed not to.

She wondered two things: one, would they be able to get to him before something worse happened, as if something worse _could_ happen after what she saw. She had never even heard of 'fisting' before. And two, would he ever be the Hotch she loved and admired again after this? She told herself no matter what he still had her respect, always would, and she would never abandon him.

It was then that Penelope made a promise to herself. Once her boss was safe, she would be there for him even if he told her to 'go to hell and don't come back.' She would be there for him and whether or not he allowed it, she would hug him, kiss the top of his head, and hopefully make all his pain and fear go away. She could only imagine what he must be feeling and thinking knowing his team was going to be watching him being broken. But despite all that, he was still the only boss she wanted to work for, and would see to it that he knew that even if she had to remind him every day for the rest of his life.

"I won't let that creepy person take you from us, my liege," she murmured staring at the now blank computer screen in front of her. "You belong to us and I'll be damned if I let him do that. So be prepared to do battle with the Goddess of the all-knowing, Aaron Hotchner. I'm gonna be by your side every hour of every day once you're back, until you believe you have nothing to feel sorry or ashamed about, and you're back where you belong….with us."

* * *

Spencer Reid had found a vacant office on the sixth floor to occupy and closed the door and pulled the blinds shut. He needed time and space right now, and this was the only way he could think of to have them. He didn't want to use the vacant office beside David Rossi's only because there was always the chance one of his teammates would walk in and inquire as to how he was, and right now even he didn't have an answer to that question. To Reid at the moment it didn't really matter how he felt; it was a matter of how Aaron felt and was feeling. He could never forget the look on the face of the man he considered a father figure after Gideon had left. He still felt that except with one difference now. He thought of Hotch as the father figure that he needed to be strong for and to take care of when they got him back.

Wrapping his long arms around himself, Reid let out a deep breath and felt the moisture on his cheeks. He didn't bother to wipe it away. All he could think about was seeing how lost his boss and friend appeared on that video; how ashamed he seemed, and the look of complete and utter despair on his face. This was a different Hotch from the one he had known. This was not the strong, stoic and in control Hotch; the Hotch he saw on the video was broken, humiliated, and having his control snatched from him through the use of his own body. Reid couldn't even begin to imagine how using his own body against him to snatch away any and all control he had would feel to him. But to someone like Aaron Hotchner, who was use to being in control, it probably broke the man.

"We'll get you back, Hotch," the young man said practically to himself as he wiped his face. "We'll get you back and no matter how long it takes, we'll make sure you know you still have our support and respect, and that we still believe in you. Just don't give up on us or yourself. Don't let him take away your belief in yourself that you can overcome what he's done to you. We're going to get you back and I'm going to make certain you know you are Aaron Hotchner, Unit Chief of the BAU and the only boss I want." Reid then let out a deep breath and swallowed the large lump that had built up in his throat. "I managed to recover from Tobias Henkel with your support and caring, and you can count on having mine. Whatever you need from me you got; I promise. Just don't give up on yourself. Please Hotch."

* * *

Emily Prentiss sat at her desk with her chin pressed against her clasped hands, seemingly staring into space. In her few short years with the BAU, she thought she had seen every abomination, every depravity, every cruelty a person could do to someone; but until she saw this latest video, even she couldn't believe the new low's a person would go to to inflict pain on someone. Only this time it wasn't just someone; it was Aaron Hotchner, her boss and her friend. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Hotch was feeling right now, but if the looks of shame, humiliation, and self-loathing on his face in that video were any indication….

Sighing, Prentiss ran her hands down her face before swallowing hard and staring around the office. What Armitage had done to Hotch this time was beyond description. She was more determined than ever to find him and save him before this UnSub inflicted the ultimate punishment on Hotch and that was the taking of his life.

"We're not going to let you die, Hotch," she murmured partially to herself. "We may not have been able to stop him from hurting you as he did, but we will not let him kill you and take you away from us, Haley, and especially not Jack." Licking her suddenly dry lips, Prentiss breathed out through her nose. Hotch, despite what had been done to him, still had her respect and loyalty. He was still the only boss she wanted to work for. But she did feel sympathy for him, not pity as someone else probably else, because she knew Hotch would never want anybody's pity.

Blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall, Prentiss told herself when they got Hotch back, she would make sure she would be there for him regardless of whether he wanted her there or not. He needed to know she still believed in him and his ability to lead his team regardless of what happened to him. As far as she was concerned, he was_ their_ Unit Chief and leader, and if anybody had a problem with that, she would just sic Garcia on them as she knew how protective the technical analyst was of her teammates. She forced a small smile to appear at the thought. Even she didn't want to tangle with an angry Penelope Garcia.

Laying her hands and arms on top of her desk, she hung her head and shook it. As angry as she was right now over her boss's treatment by Armitage, two thoughts permeated her mind: one, they would find and save Hotch, and two, she would let Hotch know that the entire team wanted, needed, and believed in him. And she didn't care however long it would take.


	19. Chapter 19Nightmares of Terror

**Chapter 19-Nightmares of Terror**

Hotch lay looking up at the ceiling in the darkened room not paying any real attention to the various discolored markings on the ceiling. His mind was still on the video which had been made earlier and that he was certain, by now, his team had viewed. He wondered what they thought when they saw him and what went through their minds at not only what was being done to him, but his bodily response to it. Swallowing hard, he felt tears run down the side of his face from the corners of his eyes. He had never been so humiliated and ashamed in his entire life.

_How will I ever be able to look them in the face again? _he thought to himself. _How will they ever look at me again without pity and disgust on their faces? The great Aaron Hotchner, always so controlled and in control. That's a laugh now, isn't it? You certainly lost control earlier, didn't you, Aaron? You couldn't even control your own body. _He sighed sadly and licked his lips. _Some team leader I turned out to be. If I somehow get out of here alive, I'll step down and turn the Unit Chief job over to Morgan. He wouldn't embarrass himself or the position like I did._

Hotch squeezed his eyes shut as the tears continued to fall.

* * *

_Aaron?" Armitage said sweetly._

"_Go to hell!" Hotch said firmly without opening his eyes. He tried not to move his head because of the Heretics Fork, but really didn't care anymore. Also, the metal wedges jammed under his toe nails continued to hurt. "Haven't you done enough to me already?"_

"_I suggest you watch your mouth, Aaron. Or do I have to punish you again?"_

"_I don't care what you do anymore," Hotch replied now glaring at the man standing at the foot of his bed with arms folded and what looked like a knife in one hand. The agent's eyes focused on the shiny blade and then shifted back to Armitage. "What do you plan to do now? Cut off my feet? Wouldn't be any need for the metal wedges then, would there? Decapitate me? I don't think so. You can't get me to react without my head. Or maybe you just like walking around with shiny objects?" He could see his captor's face was turning a deep shade of crimson meaning he was becoming angry. "I'm not playing your games anymore, Armitage. So either kill me now, or get out and leave me the hell alone."_

"_You're trying to make me angry now, aren't you?" Armitage said._

"_I'm not trying to make you do anything. Just go fuck yourself and leave me the fuck alone!"_

"_I see I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, Aaron," Armitage began as he slowly approached the side of the bed and held up what Hotch saw now was a meat cleaver. "Now this is going to hurt quite a bit just so you know." Leaning over the bed, Armitage grabbed the waistband of Hotch's boxers and pulled them down to his knees exposing his groin area. "I figure once I emasculate you, you'll behave. But don't worry. I'll do my best to control the bleeding so that you'll live." Then, reaching out with one hand, he grabbed Hotch's penis and testicles and firmly held them straight out. He then pressed the sharp blade of the knife at the base of his penis and began to cut. Aaron Hotchner screamed_.

Hotch's eyes flew open suddenly as he moved his eyes around and noticed he was still alone. He allowed his eyes to shift downward toward his genital area and realized he was still intact physically. He sighed more in relief than anything else as he closed his eyes. _It was only a dream, _he told himself. _Just a dream._ He then opened his eyes again as a thought suddenly occurred to him. Or was it a premonition of something yet to come?

* * *

JJ continued sitting at her desk in her office staring out the closed window. She had since gotten slowly to her feet after awhile and unlocked her door just in case one of her teammates needed to see her before returning to her desk. She was still thinking about what she had seen happening to her boss and friend on the video when it happened.

_A noise made her look up to see a subdued David Rossi standing in the doorway of her office; his eyes were moist and caused her lower lip to tremble. "No, oh no. David, don't tell me. Please say it isn't true. Hotch isn't…"_

"_I'm sorry, JJ, but….I got a phone call from the local police a few minutes ago. Hotch's body was found in a ditch near a construction site about a mile outside of Fairfax. He…he'd been decapitated."_

_JJ wiped at her wet eyes. "Then how do they know it was Hotch? If the body was decapitated…"_

_Rossi sighed wearily. "His head was found lying near the body. He'd apparently been badly tortured before being killed."_

"_No…no…NO! Nooooooooooooo!" JJ shouted at the top of her lungs. "Noooooo!"_

JJ woke up with a start breathing heavily with a hand clamped over her mouth. She looked up hearing footsteps and saw David Rossi hurrying into her office, followed by Prentiss, Morgan, Reid, and others having all been attracting by her screaming. As the members of her team approached her desk, JJ got to her feet and buried her head in Rossi's shoulder, sobbing. "Tell me it's not true," she murmured as the older profiler hugged her close. "It can't be true."

"Can't what be true, JJ?" Rossi asked gently.

JJ lifted her head. "Please tell me Hotch isn't dead. He can't be."

Rossi allowed a small smile to appear. "Hotch isn't dead, JJ. We have no proof that he is. You must've nodded off and had a dream."

"You're telling me the truth?" she asked hopefully. "Hotch isn't dead?"

"Rossi's telling you the truth," Morgan added. "As far as we know, Hotch is still alive."

Allowing herself a sigh of relief, JJ pulled away from Rossi, smiling faintly as she wiped at her eyes with her fingers. Then she saw the people gathered in her doorway watching. "I'm so embarrassed for scaring everybody by screaming like that. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize," Prentiss chimed in. "After what we all saw on that video, it's no wonder we all haven't had nightmares."

Reid looked over his shoulder and walked towards the open door. "Okay, everybody, show's over," he said slowly. "Everybody can go back to work now." He gently closed the door and returned to JJ's desk. He smiled embarrassingly. "Thought you might feel better without people staring at you," he added sheepishly.

Smiling sweetly, JJ approached Reid and gripped his shoulder giving it a squeeze. "Thanks," was all she said, her blue eyes looking straight into Reid's brown ones.

Rossi sat down on the edge of the desk with arms folded. "Care to talk about your dream?"

Facing him, JJ let out a deep breath. "I was at my desk looking out the window when you came to my office with this look on your face that immediately told me whatever you had to tell me was bad. Then you told me Hotch's body had been found in a ditch by the local police outside of Fairfax and he had been decapitated. When I asked you how could they tell it was Hotch, you said his head was found nearby and that his body had been tortured. That's when I lost it."

"I'm sorry," Rossi said gently.

"Don't be," JJ touched his arm and smiled. "But it was so real; I'm just glad it's not true." Suddenly, her smile vanished and was replaced with a frown. "David, please tell me we'll find Hotch before my dream becomes a reality."

"I promise you," Rossi's brown eyes looked directly into JJ's blue ones. "We'll find Hotch and bring him back. You have my word."

* * *

"_Aaron? Time to wake up," said a too familiar voice._

"_Go to hell," Hotch said careful not to move his head. "Haven't you done enough to me already?" He recalled this was the same conversation he had in his earlier dream._

"_I __**suggest**__ you watch your mouth, Aaron. Or do I have to punish you again?" asked Armitage._

"_I don't care what you do anymore," Hotch shifted his eyes and saw his captor standing, with folded arms, at the foot of his bed, and seemed to be holding what looked like a knife in one hand. A shiver came over him. Just like in his dream. But also like in his dream, Hotch found himself getting angry as well._

"_I don't care what you do anymore," he repeated glaring at the man who stood at the foot of his bed, his eyes focused on the shiny blade before shifting back to Armitage. "What do you plan to do now? Cut off my feet? Wouldn't need the metal wedges then, would we? Decapitate me? I don't think so. You can't get me to react without my head. Or maybe you just like walking around with shiny objects?" He noticed his captor's face turning a deep shade of crimson, but was unable to stop himself. "I'm not playing your game anymore, Armitage. So either kill me now, or get out and leave me the hell alone."_

"_You're trying to make me angry now, aren't you?" Armitage said._

"_I'm not trying to make you do anything. Just go fuck yourself and leave me the fuck alone!"_

"_I see I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, Aaron," Armitage began as he slowly approached the side of the bed and held up what Hotch saw was a meat cleaver. "I'm afraid this is going to hurt quite a bit just so you know." He leaned over the bed, grabbed the waistband of Hotch's boxers and began pulling them down to his knees exposing the agent's groin area. "I figure once I emasculate you, you'll behave. But try not to worry, I'll do my best to control the bleeding so that you'll live." He heard Hotch gasp as the thin material of his boxers slid down his body to his knees and knew he had pushed his captor too far. Did his dream teach him nothing? Was this going to be his end? To go into shock after being castrated and die from massive blood loss? Or would he still somehow survive the castration and be forever scarred knowing his manhood had been permanently ripped from him? _

"_Please…" Hotch found himself pleading as he watched Armitage grab his penis and testicles and firmly hold them straight out but not in a painful manner all the while brandishing the knife in his other hand. "I…I didn't mean to upset you. I apologize. Please don't do this. You want me to beg? Fine, then I'm begging. Please don't do this."_

_Armitage smiled devilishly as he gazed into the terror-filled brown eyes of his captive. "Too late, Aaron," he said as he carefully placed the sharp blade at the base of Hotch's penis and began cutting. His humming was intermingled with Hotch's screams_.

Hotch, sweating profusely, suddenly woke up realizing immediately and thankfully that he had dozed off again. Why was he having another dream so reminiscent of the first one? Was his mind trying to prepare him for the inevitable? Or was he formulating a means of torture yet to come at the hands of his captor? He didn't know anymore. Or perhaps, just perhaps, he didn't want to know. But somewhere in the dark recesses of his weary mind it occurred to him that it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that Armitage might castrate him just to add one final humiliation to his battered mind and body, and that would be the permanent removal of what made a man a man. Hotch sighed. Armitage had already made him feel like less of a man with what he did to him in the last video, but this humiliation would finish him completely. He wouldn't put it past the man to do it either. And the worst thing, at least to Hotch, was that there was nothing he could do to stop him.

* * *

Once JJ had calmed down enough for the others to leave, Reid headed to Garcia's office to help her try and pinpoint where Jason Armitage was holding Hotch; Prentiss, needing some air, decided to take a walk outside the building for a few minutes; Morgan, needing something to do, sat down at the conference table and began again going through the information they had already gathered. Rossi, on the other hand, slowly walked to the upper level pausing in front of Aaron Hotchner's office. It was dark inside and that seemed strange to Rossi since the entire team was home; yet, he also knew why it was dark inside. Gripping the doorknob, Rossi opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind him. He turned on the light by flicking the wall switch. Standing with his back to the door, he looked around the office, feeling closer to his good friend just by being here. Then his eyes fell on the empty leather chair and he frowned remembering the last time he saw Hotch sitting in that chair. He recalled the last time was when the two of them were waiting for the results of the DNA tests on the envelopes and letters sent to Hotch.

"Where are you, Aaron?" he said softly. "What is it we're missing?" Then, walking behind the desk, Rossi pulled out the leather chair and sat down, his elbows on the desk and hands rubbing together. Letting out a weary sigh, Rossi folded his arms on top of the desk and laid his forehead on his arms. He didn't want anyone to know how afraid he was that Hotch wouldn't survive this time and he'd never see his longtime friend again; not alive anyway.

"_Dave?" a male voice was calling his name. While recognizing that voice he couldn't believe it. Lifting his head, Rossi's mouth opened and he immediately massaged his eyes with one hand as he couldn't believe who he saw standing before him._

"_Aaron, is it really you?" the elder profiler said in a surprised voice. He slowly got to his feet._

_Aaron Hotchner stood in front of his friend with a sad look on his face as he studied his friend. "Don't look so surprised, Dave," he said gently. "Do you really think I'd leave without saying goodbye to you? What kind of friend would that make me?"_

"_Goodbye? What do you mean by goodbye?" Rossi asked with narrowed eyes; suddenly, his eyes widened just a bit. "No. Aaron, you're not telling me that you're already…."_

_Hotch shook his head. "No I'm not. At least not yet. But my time is running out, Dave. And I might not have time to see the one man who has been my best friend and confidant for years for the last time. Besides, I'm in so much pain, I don't know how much more I can take. Remember in the beginning when I told you I had a feeling things were going to end badly for me?"_

"_Hotch…." Rossi began but shut his mouth when his friend held up a hand insisting on silence._

"_I'm more positive of that now than before. I more than likely won't survive this. Just make sure you keep your promise to me to look after Haley and Jack for me."_

"_And I will. We all will. But you have to promise us, Aaron, that you won't give up. Just please don't give up. We are coming to get you. Reid figured out the clue you gave us about Fairfax. We know that's where Armitage has you. We just need to figure out where in Fairfax he's holding you. Reid also figured out about Armitage's mother, Ruth Bellows and her lover, Melvin Daley and their daughter Ruthanne. But we couldn't find any property under their names despite the anagrams. Is there some clue you can give to help us?"_

_Hotch scrunched his face as he thought about his friend's request. Finally, he exhaled through his nose and folded his arms. "Think of Brandon and Shane Cooper when you think of me, Dave, if you want to save me before it's too late.' Hotch exhaled deeply and hung his head. "I'm sorry you and the others had to see that video of me. I can only imagine what you must think of me; the shame, the disgust, the loathing…."_

"_Is that what you believe we'd think of you?" Rossi asked with a stunned look on his face._

"_Isn't it?" Hotch asked calmly eying his best friend. His face was unreadable however._

"_No. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aaron, every member of your team has nothing but total sympathy for what's happening to you. We all want you back in charge of this team and as Unit Chief. If anything, we have even more respect for you now than before."_

_Hotch's image began to fade before Rossi's eyes. "I have to go now, Dave. Just remember, think of Shane and Brandon Cooper." Hotch vanished from sight._

Rossi's head suddenly shot up as he looked around. "Hotch?" he called out as his eyes scanned the empty office. Quickly getting to his feet, he hurried to the door and opened it looking out into the bullpen area where he saw Emily Prentiss sitting at her desk trying to stay busy. "Emily."

Prentiss, hearing her name, looked up and saw Rossi staring at her from the doorway of Hotch's office. She waited as he stepped out of the doorway and approached the railing of the upper level, and leaning forward on it, looked down at her. "Where's Morgan and Reid?"

"I think Morgan's in the conference room," she replied. "And Reid's helping Garcia try to locate an address where Armitage might have taken Hotch. Why?" she noticed the strange look on the older agent's face. "What's happened?"

"Get Morgan and JJ and the three of you come to Hotch's office right away. I think I might have an idea where Hotch is being held. Now go."

"What about Reid?" she asked. She saw Rossi shake his head.

"He needs to work with Garcia right now. Just get Morgan and JJ."

"Okay," Prentiss said getting to her feet but at the same time a security guard entered in front of a young woman with a shoulder bag on one arm, her brown hair tied back in a ponytail. She looked around nervously.

"Agent Rossi," the man said. He saw both Rossi and Prentiss look around at the woman.

"Can I help you?" asked Rossi, puzzled.

"Agent Rossi, this is Miss Marcy Copland. She's a waitress in a diner in Alexandria. She says she saw the Bureau's press conference and believes she spoke with the man you're looking for."

Both Rossi and Prentiss froze and exchanged looks. Then, Rossi repeated his order for Prentiss to get Morgan and JJ as he smiled at the young woman and then motioned for the woman to head into Hotchner's office.

* * *

Hotch awoke with a start with the feeling somebody was staring at him. As he was unable to turn his head, he let his eyes shift around the room and barely noticed Jason Armitage sitting in a chair watching him with his legs crossed and arms folded. Then his eyes fell on something shiny partially hidden by one arm. He swallowed hard as he wondered if he was dreaming again or if this was now the real thing.

Armitage sensed the fear in his captive and smirked. "Something wrong, Aaron?" he asked having an idea what it was.

"Why are you here?" Hotch asked, his mouth suddenly dry, and because of the Heretics Fork, talking was difficult. "And why do you have that with you as if I have to ask."

"You mean this?" Armitage asked holding up the meat cleaver for Hotch to see. He shrugged indifferently. "I don't really know. Why do _you_ think I brought it with me, Aaron? I'd be interested in what you think."

Hotch licked his lips. "Only thing I can think of is your intention of subjecting me to the ultimate humiliation by castrating me and then watching me go into shock and bleed to death."

Armitage chuckled. "Very good, Aaron. That certainly would be the ultimate humiliation my making you less of a man by removing your penis and testicles. I have to admit I like the idea. But sadly no. See, as tempting as that idea is to me, if I did that, you probably would go into shock and die from blood loss."

"Then why…?"

"I just thought it would not only frighten you after the humiliation of what took place in the video, but it might come in handy when I speak with your team about what they thought of their Unit Chief's performance in it."

"Then this isn't a dream I'm having?"

"No. Believe me, you are quite awake. Of course, if you think you're dreaming, I can always remove something and prove that you're awake."

"No thanks. I'll take your word for it."

"Too bad. I so much wanted to…oh well, perhaps later maybe." Getting up from his chair, Armitage carefully removed the Heretics Fork and laid it on the night table beside the bed. He watched Hotch stretch his neck now able to move his head without the torture device digging into his chin and upper chest areas. He stiffened as his captor examined both areas. "Hmmm. The bleeding should stop soon as it's not too much anyway. You'll live. But now…." He sat down on the bed and after laying down the knife beside him, reached into his pocket and removed a disposable cell along with a slip of paper on which was a list of names and phone numbers. "I've spoken with Agent Rossi at least twice now, Aaron. Wonder who I should call now." Looking at the names on the list, Armitage smiled as he selected a name and pressed the buttons as he dialed the phone number.


	20. Chapter 20Moving Up a Schedule

****There is some strong language and sexual references in this chapter but nothing of a graphic nature.*****

**Chapter 20-Moving Up a Schedule**

Armitage sat on the edge of the bed smirking with his legs crossed and looked at his captive. "It's ringing," he said with a chuckle. "I bet you're wondering which member of your team I'm calling." Hotch remained silent as he waited to see who on his team would answer. He also kept his eyes on the meat cleaver lying beside Armitage on the bed wondering what use it might be put to either during or after the call.

* * *

Prentiss quickly walked up the ramp and noticed Morgan coming from the direction of the conference room. She had telephoned both of the agents after seeing Rossi escort the waitress into Hotch's office.

"What's going on?" asked Morgan as he spotted Prentiss approaching from the opposite end.

"We have a witness who works in a diner in Alexandria who may have spoken to our UnSub. Rossi wants you, me and JJ to sit in on the interview."

"What about Reid?"

"He wants him to keep working with Garcia." She and Morgan both now stood outside Hotch's closed office door. Morgan knocked, and opened it when he heard Rossi tell them to enter.

* * *

JJ was about to walk out of her office and to Hotch's when her cell phone rang. Removing it from her jacket pocket she looked at the caller ID and didn't see anything. A suspicious thought crossed her mind. Pushing a button, she put the phone to her ear. "Agent Jareau speaking."

"Ah yes, Agent Jennifer Jareau. It's so nice to hear a woman's voice instead of the gruff voices of Agents Rossi and Morgan. I'm sure you won't antagonize me like them now will you? Besides, it'd be nice to hear a woman's opinion of Agent Hotchner's performance on the latest video."

JJ knew immediately who was speaking to her and it took every fiber of her being to control her temper and not anger Hotch's captor thus causing him to take out his anger on Hotch again.

"What do you want?" she asked calmly as she closed the door of her office and walking towards her desk, sat down on it's edge.

"I want you to tell me what you thought of Aaron's not being able to control his own body. Did seeing him react as he did excite you as a woman, Jennifer? Did it turn you on? Did it make you wish you had been doing him instead of me? Be honest now."

JJ was about to reply when she heard Hotch shout something she couldn't quite make out which was followed by the sound of a hand striking flesh and guessed Armitage had struck Hotch for saying something about what he was saying to her. What she heard next chilled her blood.

"You open your mouth one more time without my permission and I'll cut your tongue out. You understand me, Aaron," she heard him say. His comment was met by only silence on Hotch's part.

"Sorry for the interruption, Jennifer," Armitage replied smugly. "But your boss needs to learn he doesn't speak without my permission. Now, as to my question to you about…."

"You want to know what I thought of Hotch's reaction on that video as a woman? Fine, I'll tell you. As a woman, I think what you did and are doing to humiliate Hotch is disgusting and revolting. He is a fine man and when we find you, you will pay for what you're doing."

Armitage smirked knowing his captive could only hear his side of the conversation. "So you found Agent Hotchner disgusting, Jennifer?" Armitage smirked again as his eyes landed on the agent who tried hard not to reveal his shame and humiliation at what he imagined JJ was saying.

"_I knew she would be disgusted by my reactions. I knew it," _Hotch told himself grimly

"That's _not _what I said and you know it, Armitage. You want Hotch to believe I do just to humiliate him even more." She heard the man on the other end chuckle.

"You are a feisty one Jennifer, I'll grant you that," he said. "However, Aaron's right here, and he's just so eager to say something. Please hold." JJ then heard Armitage's muffled voice telling Hotch something. Then she heard the voice of the man she respected more than anything.

"JJ," Hotch's voice sounded raspy. "I…I'm sorry the team had to see that video. I can only imagine what all of you must think of me."

"Hotch." JJ's voice was trembling. "Don't listen to him. We all still have the utmost respect for you and are coming for you. We intend to get you back. Just hang on a little while longer. And don't listen to him when he says we find you disgusting and revolting because we don't. We never could." She then heard Armitage's voice as he spoke into the mouthpiece of the phone guessing his mouth was right next to Hotch's.

"That's not what you told me, Aaron," he whispered. "You told me how when your body was responding you were thinking of Jennifer and wishing she was doing you instead of me. Now don't be shy, Aaron. Tell her the truth."

"Go. To. Hell," she heard her boss say. She then again heard the sound of flesh striking flesh, and knew Armitage had just struck Hotch a second time; she chewed her lower lip to keep her emotions under control and to keep from crying.

"Tell her, Aaron. Or I might have to use the meat cleaver and remove something a man knows is important to his love life."

"Go ahead," Hotch said. "Because I refuse to embarrass and humiliate Agent Jareau like that."

JJ then knew what Armitage was threatening to do to her boss and friend and knew she had to stop it from happening if she could. She just hoped Hotch would pick up on what she was doing and understand.

"Hotch…Aaron…it's okay. You can tell me. I want you to tell me what you were thinking while you were…" She didn't finish her sentence.

Hotch sensed immediately what JJ was doing knowing she never called him by his first name, and he was inwardly grateful to her for trying to help keep him from being hurt again. He feigned at being horrified. But despite that, he really was embarrassed to say what Armitage wanted him to say to JJ. He'd rather let the man do what he wanted to him than humiliate her like that. And what if the others were listening to this conversation as well? "I can't do that, JJ," he said. "Don't ask me to say that to you. It's too degrading and embarrassing to you. I won't subject you to that."

JJ swallowed the building lump in her throat. "It's okay, Aaron. I want to hear it. Please tell me what you were thinking." _Please Hotch, _she thought, _just say what he wants you to say. It's all right. Just say it so he won't use that knife he has. Please._

"You heard her, Aaron," Armitage chimed in. "Jennifer's obviously got the hots for you and wants you to tell her how much you wished it was her mouth working you."

Hotch winced at the thought. He knew his captor knew how humiliating saying what he wanted him to say to JJ would be for him, and that his dream might come true if he didn't. But somehow he couldn't force himself despite the threat. He hesitated even as Armitage held up the meat cleaver in front of his eyes before sticking the edge of the blade just beneath the elastic of Hotch's boxers.

"You'd better make up your mind soon, Aaron," Armitage teased. "Once I disconnect this call, I start cutting off your cock and balls. And once I do that, should you survive the bleeding and shock, you won't be able to please any woman ever again. Not even pretty little Jennifer. Now, what's it going to be?"

JJ closed her eyes picturing the knife being used on a sensitive part of Hotch's body and shuddered. "Please, Aaron. It's okay. I really want to hear it. You know, as a woman, it's flattering to know you thought of me at that precise moment. I never knew you felt that way about me. Please. Please tell me." JJ was secretly hoping Hotch would give in; this was no time to be stubborn and proud. And if saying those embarrassing things to her kept him from being seriously hurt, then so be it. "_My being embarrassed is a small price to pay to keep you from being hurt more," _she told herself_. _It was the only way she could think of to help her friend not be hurt again.

Hotch swallowed hard. "JJ…" he began slowly and ran his tongue over his lips. "I…I really wanted my dick in your mouth and…you bringing me to an orgasm. I also wanted to feel…you massaging my balls with…with your small delicate hands." Hotch squeezed his eyes shut as he spoke as if by doing that he could block out the blond's face in his mind. He suddenly felt Armitage's hot breath on the side of his face.

"Tell her how much you wanted to fuck her," the man said with a chuckle.

"_Oh God, JJ," _Hotch told himself, "_Please forgive me for saying these things to you." _He swallowed hard. "I…I really wanted to fuck you and hear you cry out my name." Armitage smirked and chuckled again; JJ heard him over the phone and sensed the man was getting off on Hotch's humiliation. She knew how difficult it was for her boss to say those things to her, and she was going to help him through it as best as she could.

"Thank you, Aaron," she said with a sad smile. "I'm flattered that you think of me that way. I wish I could have been with you too."

"Tell me, Jennifer," Armitage said to her. "Before I disconnect this call, I wanted to let you know I saw your press conference. You are a very beautiful woman. I can see why Aaron would want to fuck you. I bet you're a real tigress in bed. But I digress. After seeing your press conference, I realize it's risky to stay where I am, so I'm moving up the schedule. You and the others will never find me. But, you never told me what you personally thought of your boss's performance on the tape?"

JJ thought quickly. "I thought…I thought he was impressive," she said hoarsely. "Then again, he always has been as an agent, a Unit Chief, a friend, and as a man. But you wouldn't understand that, would you?"

Armitage laughed heartily. "Two last things, Jennifer. I suppose the others are a bit upset at the video, aren't they? I haven't heard any comments from them during this call. Especially not from the volatile Agent Morgan."

"That's because they are not here right now. They're out of the office," she lied.

"Trying to find me, I assume," Armitage snickered. "But were they upset?"

"We're all angry and upset at what you're making Hotch do and your humiliation of him. But then, you already know we would be; so don't act surprised about it."

"I'm glad to hear it. As today is Wednesday, I will be sending all of you a final video on Thursday. Your boss will be saying his goodbyes to all of you. Once you receive it make sure _all_ of you watch it. Wouldn't want any of you to think Aaron overlooked anybody. I will then be contacting your team later that same day. And just keep in mind that the following day, Friday, your boss dies."

"Wait…" JJ called out but heard the click on the other end and knew Armitage had disconnected the call. She looked at the caller ID on her phone as if hoping somehow something would magically show up but knowing there would be nothing. Holding the phone in her hand, her eyes wet with unshed tears, JJ put her fingertips to her lips. Then with a weary sigh, she hurried out of her office and in the direction of Hotch's where she knew the others were. Right now she needed to speak with them badly.

* * *

Armitage smirked as he looked at Hotch who, with closed eyes, had tears rolling down the sides of his face from the corners of his eyes.

"Now that wasn't so bad, was it, Aaron?" Armitage asked smugly. "You get to keep your manhood for a while longer. Doesn't that make you feel good?" He got up and taking the phone and meat cleaver with him, left the room leaving Hotch alone with his physical and emotional pain.

Hearing his captor leave the room, Hotch opened his eyes looking at the ceiling. While he was extremely grateful for what JJ had done for him over the phone by urging him to talk dirty to her to avoid being castrated, it still troubled him having to embarrass her that way, and didn't know how he would ever face her again. He would be just too ashamed; but then, that was why Armitage wanted him to do it to begin with. He knew saying those things to JJ would humiliate him. _I should have just outright refused and let him kill me, _Hotch thought._ But_ _then JJ might have heard me being killed over the phone and I couldn't let her hear that. It would destroy her._

"If I get out of here I will kill him," Hotch said softly. "Armitage, you are a dead man for making me humiliate JJ like that." But then Hotch remembered his captor's final words to the media liaison. _'Today is Wednesday. You will be receiving a final video on Thursday and a phone call later that same day. The following day, Friday, your boss will die.' _

With a deep sigh, Hotch now realized that his life would come to an end in forty-eight hours unless he got lucky.

* * *

Rossi, Morgan, and Prentiss slowly walked out of Hotchner's office and down the ramp leading to the bullpen area when they spotted JJ hurrying towards them, almost at a run; her long blond hair flowing behind her. Even from a short distance they could tell she'd been crying.

"JJ?" Prentiss hurried ahead of the others until she and the blond woman came face-to-face; the raven-haired woman embraced her friend and felt her body trembling. "JJ, what's wrong?" She felt the woman's hands tighten on her shoulders. "What happened?" She looked around at Morgan and Rossi with worry.

"He called before I could leave my office," JJ's voice was trembling as her tears fell unashamedly.

Prentiss stepped back allowing JJ to lift her head and the two women looked into each other's eyes. "Armitage?" she asked. The three agents saw their media liaison nod her head.

"What did he say?" asked Morgan, upset by his friend's reaction and fearful at what had made her upset.

JJ repeated her conversation with Armitage and Hotch. "I could tell Hotch didn't want to do it even after being threatened with castration. I had to convince him it was all right for him to do it; that I wanted him to do it."

"And did he?" asked a worried Rossi.

"He did," JJ replied. "But I could tell that he was so embarrassed to do it regardless. But I hope he knows I wanted him to say those things so he wouldn't be hurt again."

"I'm sure he knows that," Rossi said in a gentle voice with a sad smile.

"But there's something else, isn't there, JJ?" Morgan asked with growing fear. "What else did he say to you?"

JJ let out a deep breath. "Armitage said we would get a final video on Thursday and a phone call later the same day. He added that the following day, Friday, Hotch will die."

Morgan ran a hand over his bald head and mumbled something under his breath. "That gives us two days to find him, Rossi."

JJ wiped at her moist eyes with her fingertips. "Any luck with the waitress Emily told me about?"

Rossi shook his head. "Not really. She remembered serving the UnSub lunch when he came into the diner prior to Aaron being kidnapped and she picked Armitage's photo out of a lineup. That's about all."

Prentiss suddenly looked at the older profiler. "Rossi, didn't you tell me you had an idea as to where Armitage might be holding Hotch?" The others were now looking at him as well.

Rossi rubbed the back of his neck. "I might. But this is going to sound weird so when I tell you don't look at me like I've gone off the deep end."

"Right now if Santa Claus appeared and said he had a clue as to where Hotch was, I'd believe it," Morgan replied seriously.

"Okay," Rossi explained. "I was in Hotch's office and nodded off. While I was sleeping, Aaron appeared to me in a dream. I recall asking him if there was some clue he could give that would help us find him. All he would say is for us to think of Shane and Brandon Cooper when we thought of him."

"What?" asked JJ looking puzzled.

"You heard me," Rossi said. "I told you it sounded weird. But I don't care how weird it sounds, we don't have much of anything else to go on right now and time is running out. So if anybody thinks it might be a waste of time tell me now."

"So what are you thinking?" asked Morgan. "Another anagram possibly?"

"That's what I'm hoping," the older agent answered. "And for that we need our resident genius, Spencer Reid."

* * *

A/N: This story is winding down. Should be completed in another 4 or 5 chapters. I thank all of you who have stuck with this story up to now and hope you'll stay until the end.


	21. Chapter 21The Countdown Begins

**Chapter 21-The Countdown Begins**

Garcia and Reid were getting bleary-eyed from staring at the computer monitors for hours when a frantic knocking on the door was heard.

"Enter the office of the all-knowing and ye shall be heard," Penelope hollered without moving her eyes from the computer screen in front of her. Both she and Reid looked around to see the door open and Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss and JJ enter; JJ closed the door behind her. Rossi appeared anxious which made both of them nervous.

"What's wrong?" asked Reid with narrowed eyes.

JJ quickly repeated her story to Garcia and Reid who both sat patiently and listened calmly until she got to the part about Hotch having only forty-eight hours left to live. Swallowing hard, Reid turned his face back to the computer screen. He didn't want the others to see his moist eyes. He tapped his pencil on the desk top just to keep busy.

"Oh God," Garcia murmured softly as she turned away, removed her glasses, and wiped her eyes. The thought that Hotch may only have forty-eight hours to live was too much to take. She felt what she knew was Morgan's hand on her shoulder. "I'm okay. I just have something in my eye." She quickly put her glasses back on. "The baby genius and I still haven't found anything. In fact, I don't know where else to look," she admitted sadly.

Reid tossed his pencil on the desk. "And I'm rapidly running out of places to suggest looking."

"That's why we're here, Reid," Rossi began. "I think there might be a way to find out where Hotch is being held, but I need you to create an anagram of two names I'm going to give you. Can you do it?"

Reid grabbed his pencil again and took the notepad Garcia handed him. "Go ahead," he said.

"Okay. Shane and Brandon Cooper," Rossi told him. "Create anagrams for each name separately and then jointly. Then, whatever you come up with, have Garcia run 'em on the computer and get back to us. Just remember, the clock is running." He noticed the young genius look up at him questioningly.

"Don't ask me how I know because I don't. It's just a hunch. Just run a check on all the possibilities you come up with and get back to us as soon as possible."

"Right away," Reid replied as he started writing down the names he had come up with by rearranging the letters. He secretly didn't care if he had to work all night; he would find the right anagram that would give them the break they needed to save their Unit Chief.

"Consider it done, sir," Garcia promised as she cracked her knuckles in preparation of conducting a fresh search as soon as Reid had finished doing what he had to do. Like Reid, she was prepared to stay all night if need be with Hotch's life on the line. She could rest later once she knew her boss was safe and sound, and away from his captor permanently.

Rossi glanced over his shoulder at the others. "Let's go back to the bullpen and make sure we haven't overlooked anything." Opening the door to Garcia's office, Rossi allowed Morgan, Prentiss and JJ to walk out before he followed them. "Good luck," he said and smiled weakly as Reid merely waved at him while working on his assignment.

Once they were alone, Garcia folded her arms and stared at Reid as she waited for the first couple of names to begin her search.

"Who are we looking up first, my junior G-man?" she asked with renewed energy.

"I only have two or three names to start with," Reid replied. "I'm starting with Brandon Cooper. I'll give you a couple at a time."

Garcia wiggled her fingers before positioning them over her keyboard. "Go ahead, my love. Give me some names."

* * *

Hotch was staring at the ceiling still thinking about the things he had said to JJ when the door opened and he watched Armitage walk in carrying the tripod and camera; he knew immediately what was going to happen, and he inwardly cringed.

"I thought this wasn't until tomorrow?" he asked.

"I lied," his captor announced as he set up the tripod. He paused long enough to turn and glance at his prisoner. "Oh, you thought I was going to make the video tomorrow and kill you a day later?" He chuckled while positioning the camera. "That's what I wanted your team to think. Actually, You're going to make the video today and I will send it by courier; then I will call them." He grinned maliciously at the agent. "And tomorrow, Aaron, tomorrow you will die instead of Friday." He stepped back after positioning the camera on top of the tripod.

Hotch was, for the first time since his capture, feeling true fear. He was going to die a day sooner unless his team could find him which now seemed an improbability. As much as he wracked his brains, he couldn't come up with anything that would slow Armitage down and stall what the man planned on doing.

"But you said…."

"I know what I said," Armitage said. "And it's what I wanted them to think. I wanted them to believe they had forty-eight hours to save your miserable life when in reality, your time is up as of midnight tonight, and there's not a damn thing you or your team can do." He faced the agent grinning like a hyena. "See, Aaron, I have a feeling that not only are things getting too hot around here, but I'm tired of your company and it's time for us to part ways. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some preparations to make for your last video." He turned and walked calmly out of the room leaving Hotch alone to ponder his fate and try to come up with a way to stall the inevitable. But he soon heard footsteps on the stairs and saw Armitage re-enter the room carrying a bucket of water and two cables. Hotch's eyes widened as he suspected he knew what was about to happen.

Armitage saw his prisoner's eyes and knew that Hotch was aware of what was about to happen. Sitting the bucket of water on the night table and the cables beside it, he looked directly at the agent. "I want your team to see the shocking reaction." He then studied the healing cuts to Hotch's face, neck, shoulder and abdomen. "Hmmm," he said. "The stab wound to your shoulder is becoming infected as is the x-shaped cut to your face. But no matter. You won't live long enough to suffer much from the infection." He then proceeded to unfasten and remove the stun belt from around Hotch's waist, discarding it on the floor near the night table. He followed that by removing the metal wedges from beneath Hotch's toenails; he tossed them carelessly onto the floor as well.

Then Armitage put on the 'Lone Ranger' mask for what he expected would be the final time, slipped a DVD into the camera slot and pressed the on button. "Smile for the camera, Aaron," he said. He watched Hotch turn towards the camera with an expression of utter despair and hopelessness. As he did so, Armitage walked temporarily out of view of the camera and reappeared shortly thereafter beside the bed near the table on which sat the water bucket and cables. He looked directly into the camera and spoke to his invisible audience. "I know I told you all I planned to send you a video on Thursday, but I've suddenly grown tired of your boss's company and have decided to put him out of his misery a day sooner. But before I do that, Aaron has a farewell message for each of you." He leaned over the bed. "Go ahead, Aaron."

Hotch swallowed hard knowing the unbelievable had finally happened, and that was he had run out of time. This was the end of the line for him. He didn't blame his team for failing to save him; he knew they had tried their best. But with Jason Armitage unknowingly depriving them of twenty-four hours they thought they had, there was no way he would escape his fate. He let out a deep breath of frustration and helplessness. Up to now, he had never given much thought as to what he would say to his team were a moment like this ever to present itself. But now that it had, he discovered he couldn't find the words he needed. He thought it was funny that he, the always stoic Aaron Hotchner, never at a loss for words, now facing his own imminent death, was at a loss for words. But somehow he had to find the words to express his feelings to those he was closest to; and who better to begin with was his longtime friend and confidant, David Rossi.

"Dave, you have always been my very best friend. You've also been there for me when I needed someone to listen to me about things I couldn't discuss with anybody else. I need you to do me a huge favor, Dave. Take care of the team for me. I'm leaving them in your capable hands. Whatever you do, don't let Strauss break the team up. You have to promise me you will do what I ask. I can rest in peace knowing you will handle things for me and keep everybody together. I know it isn't much, but thank you now for doing this. I wish I could say more, but I'm afraid this will have to do my friend."

He then sighed as his mind shifted next to the man who thought of him as a mentor: Derek Morgan. "Derek, you're one of the best agents I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I trusted you with my life, and I know you probably right now are thinking you failed me somehow. Let me assure you that you didn't. No way. You never let me down and you didn't this time. If you want to do something for me, give Dave the same loyalty as you did me. Also, treat Spencer as the little brother you consider him to be and guide him, protect him, and keep him on the right path. You are a capable leader who will one day have his own team. When that day comes, lead them with the same integrity, dedication, and compassion you've always shown me." Hotch allowed a tear to roll down the side of his face and fall onto the pillow. He knew this would be difficult; saying goodbye to those he considered family; but it was much harder than he thought it would be.

Pausing for awhile to collect his thoughts, Hotch next thought about Emily Prentiss. He suspected the raven-haired beauty who was always able to compartmentalize things to maintain her sanity, would not be able to compartmentalize his death. He knew Prentiss would have trouble dealing with what she believed was a personal failure and he couldn't allow that to weigh on her mind. "Emily, you are one of the brightest and strongest women I've ever had the pleasure of working with. You're tough and brave, and can face down an UnSub with the best of them, and yet, you are capable of showing compassion to those who need and deserve it, even if they are an UnSub. I've always envied your ability to compartmentalize things. Don't let my death cause you to change who you are, and affect how you do whatever you choose to do. Promise me you will continue to do the job you're good at with the same strength, courage and compassion whether it be with the BAU or whatever job it might be if not. I expect you not to let my death have an adverse effect on you in whatever field you choose."

At this point Hotch couldn't continue as he squeezed his eyes shut tightly and silently sobbed as he told himself he didn't want to die. He wanted to live and see Jack grow up. _"I don't want to die,"_ he told himself; but he would never give his captor the pleasure of hearing him beg to live. He swallowed the large lump in his throat when the realization came to him that his life was now reduced to a matter of a few hours. Inwardly he cried knowing he was going to die and nobody could do a thing to stop it. Outwardly, he opened his eyes again and took a deep breath to gather his composure before he continued.

Spencer Reid next came to mind, and for that, Hotch gave careful thought as he had known Reid considered him a father figure since Gideon had left. "Spencer, you are without a doubt the smartest young man I've ever known. Sometimes I believe I relied on your genius too much and took advantage. Please accept my deepest apology. I imagine my sudden leaving not long after Gideon's will affect you the hardest because I know how much you relied on me after he left. I'm only sorry that, like Gideon, I am leaving without saying goodbye face-to-face. But you can rest assured it's not by choice. Don't let my leaving reflect on you or cause you to blame yourself. Just keep in mind that my leaving is not your fault. You've been a good friend to me over the years and I will always treasure our friendship. And while you are stronger than you give yourself credit for, should you need guidance, look up to the others; especially Morgan and JJ. I expect to hear great things about you despite being on the other side. Take care my friend and remember I will always be watching you and will always be with you."

Hotch again paused as his mind turned to the media liaison; and he swallowed hard. She was the one he'd feel the worst for when it was over. _"The last memory she would have of me would be me talking dirty to her,"_ he told himself. "JJ, you are one of the gentlest, strongest, and most gracious women I've ever known. You have more compassion than anyone I know. You always knew what to say to me when nobody else did. You were also there whenever I needed someone just to listen and get across what needed to be said without uttering a word. Don't ever lose that. I again must apologize for having to say those things to you on the phone. I hope you can forgive me. Whether you know it or not, you are the anchor that keeps us grounded when things get crazy as they so often do with the things we see. Keep the team grounded; and help Morgan look after Spencer. Like Derek, I know you consider Spencer the little brother you always wanted. You and Reid have a special bond; don't ever let anything happen to that. Nurture it; worship it, and above all, be there for him, JJ. Answer his questions even if you don't want to, because I know once my death has become reality, he's going to need somebody to be there for him as I should have been when Gideon left. Make sure he understands he was not to blame in any way for what happened. And above all, JJ, don't let my death destroy you or scar you emotionally. Use your inner strength to find a way to move on and above all, JJ, be happy. If anybody deserves it it's you."

Hotch paused momentarily again to collect his thoughts and turned away from the camera so he wouldn't have to see the flashing red light. Opening them again he first glanced at his captor and noticed him standing there casually with arms folded and a smirk on his face. He knew Armitage was basking in the knowledge that Hotch had realized that it was over for him and there was nothing that could be done. Swallowing hard, Hotch turned back to the camera as Penelope Garcia came to mind; a slight smile appeared on his face as he thought of his bubbly tech analyst who always had a smile on her face for him and always brightened his day when things were at their worst.

"Penelope. What can I say about you that hasn't already been said. While JJ is the anchor that keeps the team grounded, you are the bright spark that we need when things become too dark as they so often do. You supply that bright light that we need, and you always knew when we needed to smile. I could never figure out how you always knew but you did. And for that I will always be grateful. You always see the good in people no matter what, Penelope, and I can't tell you how many times when coming back from a case I have been so down from what I've seen, that after speaking with you, my mood changes from gloomy to happy because of you. I know I didn't say it often enough, but you are without a doubt, one of the most important people on the team. You are the primary reason for our success. We couldn't do half of what we do without you. I said JJ was the anchor that kept us grounded, but you are our beacon and keep us from sinking into the darkness of what we see in our job. Whatever happens, don't ever lose that spark or your ability to see the good in people. You and the others were there for me and I will always be grateful for your friendship." Hotch's voice was beginning to tremble at the end and right now he didn't care if Armitage noticed.

Hotch let out a deep breath as the most difficult part of his goodbyes was about to occur. "Lastly, I need all of you to look after Haley and Jack for me. Haley was my high school sweetheart as you know, and even after 21 years together, I love her as much now as I did then. Make sure she's able to move on with her life; make sure she finds someone to share her life with again and to love when she's ready. Don't let her wallow in grief and sadness. I'd hate to see her be alone. And be there for Jack as well. He's going to need a male figure in his life to teach him things only another man could. And seeing as I won't be there to teach him those things, Spence, Dave and Derek, I'm counting on each of you to teach him the things a father would. Garcia, you, Emily and JJ must help Haley teach him about the beauty in life and what true love is and can be. And tell Haley and Jack that I love them." He looked at Armitage. "That's it," he said. "That's all of them." Aaron closed his eyes again and allowed himself to lose control as he cried quietly not caring he was being watched.

"Very good, Aaron. You almost had me in tears. I said almost because I really don't give a shit. Now for the coup de grace." That said, Armitage picked up the water bucket and poured its contents all over Hotch soaking him. Then he tossed the bucket onto the floor and grabbed the cables. Crouching down, he plugged them into the outlet behind the night table and approached Hotch with the exposed wires.

Swallowing hard, Hotch watched as the wires were brought closer, and screamed in pain as he arched up off the bed when the wires touched his wet body. His body arched again and again as the screams issued from his mouth each time the electricity shot through him. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Hotch's body lay limp on the bed, eyes closed.

Armitage, dropping the cables onto the floor, unplugged them from the wall socket. He reached over and pressed two fingers against Hotch's neck. Satisfied, he turned and walked toward the camera, pressed the off button, and removed the DVD. Then, with a lingering look at his unconscious captive, Armitage calmly walked out of the room without any apparent concern. He had arrangements to make for Hotchner's demise tomorrow and for his own escape.

* * *

Reid and Garcia had been at it for over an hour so far without success. The tech analyst wasn't able to hide a yawn which didn't go unnoticed by Reid who shook his hand to ease the cramping sensation from writing nonstop for an hour.

"You all right, Garcia?" he asked looking at his friend.

"Don't worry about me, my sweet bambino," Penelope said as she hid another yawn behind her hand. "I'm willing to stay overnight if we can find our stoic leader. You just keep coming up with those names."

Reid grinned as he looked at Penelope with concern. "You sure? I mean, we can take a break and then go back to work."

"No can do," Penelope replied cracking her knuckles again and wiggling her fingers to prepare them to return to her keyboard. "Hotch doesn't have the time for us to take a break. Just give me the names as you come up with them and I'll look 'em up."

Reid smiled. "Okay, here's the next three names…."

* * *

Once Armitage returned to the living room, he immediately walked to the liquor cabinet and grabbing a glass, poured himself a full glass of Scotch and downed it all in one gulp. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the diamond case with the DVD inside and smirked while looking at it. "Yes, Aaron, I had you say your goodbyes to your team on this DVD and let you believe I'm sending it to your team today. And I let them think I'm sending it to them tomorrow. Little do any of you know I will send it tomorrow, but _after_ you're dead will I send it. So, it'll be sort of farewell recording for them so to speak." He then stuck the case back in his pocket and proceeded to pour himself another glass of Scotch. Holding up the glass, he studied the amber liquid.

"Sometime tomorrow after I get up I will kill you in the most slow and painful way I can. And you will be fully aware of what is happening. Tomorrow I will set fire to this place and leave you restrained in that bed upstairs as you watch the flames dance around you as you realize you will burn to death." He then drained the glass of it's contents and smiled.


	22. Chapter 22Inferno

**A/N: With the posting of my previous chapter, I hit 100 reviews on this, my very first story for CM, and I just want to say thank you everybody.**

"**Hope is the dream of a waking man"-Aristotle.**

**Chapter 22-Inferno**

It was going on ten p.m. when Armitage finally decided to go to bed. He set the alarm for nine a.m. because he wanted to get an early start the following day before he could leave for wherever he was going. He hadn't decided where he would go after he left the area, but it would be far away from Virginia. As he lay awake in bed, he looked at his list of things to do in the morning when he woke up:

1.) Get showered and dressed.

2.) Have breakfast.

3.) Bring cans of gasoline upstairs from basement.

4.) Put DVD in jacket pocket.

5.) Kill Aaron Hotchner.

It was the last item that made him smile the most. He would pour gasoline throughout the lower level of the house, drop a match on it, and watch it go up in flames. And while the place was burning he would get safely away while his captive remained in an upstairs bedroom restrained on a bed with no way to get out or free. He smirked as he thought about it. If the flames didn't kill him the smoke inhalation would. Armitage placed the list on his night table, turned off the night lamp and snuggling under the blanket, closed his eyes.

* * *

Unlike the other occupant, Aaron Hotchner was wide awake. He couldn't sleep and he knew why. Kind of hard to sleep when your life was slipping away a little at a time. He sensed it was useless at this point, but he still held on to a tiny shred of hope that his team would still find him. Hotch felt that every minute he lived was one additional minute he had in which his team could show up, break down the door and find him. Turning his head, he glanced at the small electric clock on the night table that Armitage brought upstairs before he left for the night making sure he knew what time it was before we left the room. Hotch felt his captor did that solely so Hotch would know exactly how much time he had left to live. And from looking at the clock, Hotch noticed it was after ten p.m. But he knew there was another reason Armitage put the clock in his room where Hotch could see it. It was so Hotch could actually see how much time he had left; sort of like a condemned man watching the clock. And to Hotch, that was exactly what he was. A condemned man about to be put to death.

* * *

Armitage reached out a hand from under the blanket, and shut off the ringing alarm, then slowly sat up in bed, stretching his arms out straight. Afterward, a wide smile appeared on his face. He figured by now his captive must be in a panic wondering when the moment would be upon him. Tossing back the covers, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and put his feet on the floor.

Getting up, Armitage made his way to the bathroom to first answer the call of nature, then set about turning on the water to the shower. Waiting for the water to heat up, he stripped off his pajamas and underwear, then stepped into the tub and allowing the hot water to cascade over his entire body. As the hot water drenched his body, he went over what he would do when the time came. He would go down into the basement and bring upstairs the two aluminum cans of gasoline and then dump the contents in strategic locations throughout the main level of the house, drop a lighted match and watch the house go up in flames. He would then calmly walk outside through the kitchen door and from a safe location, watch the house become totally engulfed; nobody being aware there was a man restrained in a bed upstairs until it was too late. He imagined Hotchner's terror when the flames made their way to the upper level where he was knowing he couldn't get out and soon he would be overcome by the smoke and shortly afterward, he would burn to death. He became almost giddy imagining it becoming so hot in the room that Hotchner's flesh would start to roast and fall away from his bones.

As he picked up the bar of soap from the dish in the wall, he ran the soap over his body and began to lather himself. He wondered if a person's flesh would fall away from the bones like cooked meat in an oven, if the heat became too intense. If it did, he wished he could hang around and watch his prisoner scream in pain as he was being roasted alive inside and out. He actually began hoping Hotchner would be fully conscious as that happened before the smoke overtook him. He proceeded to stand beneath the hot spray and rinse the soapy lather from his body. _It wouldn't be long now, _he thought.

* * *

Rossi, stretched out and sleeping on the leather couch in his office, cracked open his eyes when he heard knocking on his office door before he heard the door open. A bit oblivious for a moment to his surroundings, he slowly sat up and while yawning stretched his arms out to relieve the kinks from sleeping on the couch. He looked over to see who had knocked and noticed Morgan standing in the doorway with one hand on the doorknob and a coffee cup in the other. He took a sip. Rossi ran his hands over his thick hair as he studied the black agent and noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from the day before.

"Where'd you sleep?" Rossi asked with a tired smirk.

"I crashed on the sofa in Hotch's office. JJ and Prentiss stayed in JJ's office. I just checked with Reid and Garcia. Apparently they worked throughout the night."

"Anything?"

Morgan slowly shook his head. "Not yet."

Rossi hung his head and exhaled through his nose as he placed both hands flat on the sofa on either side of him. He looked up at Morgan again. "I don't have to tell you that I'm beginning to worry. The longer it takes for us to find that location the greater the possibility that Hotch will die before we get to him." He was interrupted by the ringing of his cell. Sighing wearily, he reached into his jacket pocket and removed it; looking at the caller ID, he frowned.

"Who is it?" asked Morgan.

"Strauss," Rossi replied putting the cell back in his pocket. "I'll call her back later. Right now we have to devote all our attention to finding Aaron." He got up and approached Morgan. "Any coffee left?"

"Fresh pot in the break area," Morgan replied jerking a thumb over his shoulder just before he turned and walked away with the older agent following. "You sure you don't want to talk to Strauss now instead of ignoring her? She's gonna be one pissed off individual being ignored like that."

Rossi smirked. "I can handle Strauss," he said as they both emerged from the office. "Besides, she can't resist my charm and bubbly personality." He heard Morgan chuckle. As they walked down the ramp, they both noticed a weary JJ and Prentiss, both holding coffee cups, approaching from the opposite area; Prentiss was holding an extra coffee cup and handed it to Rossi who thanked her before taking a drink of the dark brew and sighed in contentment. Everybody then sat down in the bullpen area with Rossi sitting at Reid's desk. They had all now resigned themselves to the fact that all they could do now is wait for Reid and Garcia as there was no place else to search. It was now a waiting game.

* * *

Armitage had finished breakfast and left the dishes in the sink; no need to wash them he figured since the place would soon cease to exist. He had dressed casually in faded blue jeans, a sweater, and a jacket. After sticking the diamond case with the DVD inside in one of the pockets, he went down to the basement and got the gasoline cans. But he had one thing still to do that wasn't on the list. It was something he had decided on while in the shower. He made his way upstairs to the bedroom where Aaron Hotchner was a prisoner, and casually rapped on the open door while standing in the doorway with a smirk on his face while he and Hotch stared at each other with hate. He then leaned against the door-frame and folded his arms. He studied the man restrained on the bed. The prisoner was dirty and in need of a shower, and badly needed a shave due to several days growth of facial hair. His hair was disheveled and his body was a mass of bruises, knife wounds, and small burn marks from the taser and probably from the stun belt on his lower back as well. Also, there were puncture marks on his upper chest and just under his chin. He chuckled. "Just thought I'd say goodbye, Aaron," he said. I'll be leaving you within the hour and from outside, safely hidden, of course, I will watch you die as this building becomes engulfed in flames."

Despite feeling so weak, Hotch managed to lift his head a bit and his dark, deep-set eyes still held an ominous look. "You might succeed in killing me, Armitage, but my team will _never_ stop searching for you. And just out of curiosity, Aren't you going to contact them about the recording first?"

"Oh yeah, about that," Armitage said innocently. "Change of plans. I decided to send it to them _after _you're dead. That way the farewell recording will mean so much more to them." He chuckled at seeing Hotch's distressed expression at this last piece of news.

"You bastard!" Hotch shouted.

Armitage laughed at his prisoner's last feeble attempt to flex his muscles. His laughter could still be heard as he turned and walked away; and continued to be heard as it faded away down the stairs.

* * *

"Got it!" Reid shouted as he quickly jogged towards the bullpen with an excited Garcia attempting to keep up with him. The others all turned in their chairs to look at their young agent as they got to their feet. Rossi took the paper from Reid's hands and studied it.

"Brenda Scoop?" asked Rossi, puzzled. "I don't understand," he said eying the younger agent.

Reid became animated. "It was an anagram of B and S Cooper. Nothing else made any sense."

"Brenda Scoop was the name of Shane Cooper's girlfriend years ago who broke up with him when he became abusive towards her," Garcia continued. "She died several years ago, suicide, and never owned any property. However, a small house was purchased under her name in Fairfax about a year before Jason Armitage broke out of prison. Everything was paid for in cash."

"And how could somebody who's been dead buy a house?" asked Prentiss, her eyes twinkling again. Reid and Garcia's excitement was catching.

"Good work you two," Rossi said with a smile. He quickly checked his watch. "Fairfax is twenty-seven miles from here and it'll take us about thirty-seven minutes to get to this address. JJ, contact the local police in Fairfax and have them meet us at 1313 Allendale Avenue, but not to take any action until we get there. Have a SWAT team is there as well. Tell them we're on our way. And make sure to have an ambulance waiting at the residence. Hotch is gonna need it. Let's go!"

Reid, Morgan, and Prentiss hurried behind Rossi as he raced out the BAU each hoping to get to Hotch.

* * *

It took almost sixteen minutes for Armitage to carry the two heavy cans of gasoline upstairs from the basement and proceeded to dump their contents throughout the downstairs before tossing both cans aside. Then, he struck a match, dropped it onto the floor, and smiled as the flames exploded everywhere that had been soaked with the accelerate.

"Goodbye, Aaron," he said softly as he hurried in the direction he was planning on escaping when he suddenly froze. Flames had run along the part of the floor where the gasoline had spread, unnoticed, and caught fire behind him blocking his way towards his exit. He looked around nervously. He was trapped!

* * *

Hotch smelled the gasoline and found himself panicking. The moment had finally arrived for him to meet his maker.

"No!" he cried out as he pulled against the restraints trying to free himself. "Don't do this! I have a little boy! Don't!" There was no response from below except the sound of aluminum cans being tossed aside. A few scant seconds went by before he heard the 'whoosh' sound of flames erupting and the fumes of gasoline could be detected as well as the reflection of flames from below appearing on the wall outside his room. Hotch pulled against his restraints with all the strength he could muster without success. He smelled the smoke before he saw the wisps of it floating up the stairs just outside his room. Hotch then pulled with his waning strength as the film of smoke in the hallway grew a bit denser. But he stopped when he felt as if his arms would pop out of their sockets. Hotch finally decided if he was going to die in a fire, he was going to die fighting to get free even if he had to dislocate both shoulders and break both arms in the attempt. The smoke continued to thicken and Hotch soon found himself starting to cough as the smoke began to filter into his room.

* * *

Morgan was driving like a maniac to get to the address they had been given by Reid. He glanced over at Rossi sitting beside him, knowing that Reid and Prentiss were seated behind them.

"GPS says we're about seven minutes away," Morgan announced keeping his eyes on the road. He turned a corner sharply causing the SUV to sharply tilt to one side. Suddenly the ringing of a cell phone was heard; it was Rossi's.

Pulling it out from his pocket the older profiler saw it was Garcia. He pressed a button. "You're on speaker. What is it Garcia?" he asked.

"_Sir, I was checking to see if there was any activity in the area of 1313 Allendale. There was a call made to the fire department two minutes ago from a nearby building. The house is on fire and the caller reported smelling gasoline_. _Sir, you don't think…."_

Rossi and Morgan glanced at each other as did Reid and Prentiss. "Yes I do. Okay. Garcia, we're less than five minutes away. We'll save him. Don't worry. We'll get back to you after it's over."

"_Stay safe, my babies."_

"We will, sweetness," Morgan was heard saying. Rossi disconnected the call and the sounds of sirens could be heard close by as he tucked the phone away. He suddenly pointed ahead of them.

"There!" Rossi exclaimed as the sight of flames shooting in the air could be seen as the SUV pulled to a halt across the street from the partially engulfed structure. Rossi, Morgan, Reid and Prentiss hurried out of the vehicle as the first fire engines came into sight. A SWAT team was already there awaiting orders. "Wait here!" Rossi ordered Prentiss, Reid, and the SWAT team, then took off for across the street just as the first firemen were setting up to combat the blaze. One of them, apparently the Chief, blocked the paths of Rossi and Morgan as they headed for the door of the building.

"You can't go in there!" he shouted over the noise and voices. "It's too dangerous!"

"A Federal Agent is trapped in there!" Morgan screamed back. "Get out of our way!" He started to push past the Chief who reached out and grabbed his arm.

"I _said_ you can't go in there. The whole place is gonna go up in flames. It's too late for whoever's in there anyway."

"The hell it is!" Morgan screamed jerking his arm free and with Rossi behind him, raced forward pushing open the door as the Chief who tried stopping them motioned toward several of his men, and ordered them to concentrate on the area around the doorway and the downstairs level.

"HOTCH!" Morgan screamed as loudly as he could barely able to see through the thick smoke. "HOTCH!" His eyes started burning and he found himself fanning with his hand to keep being able to see. Reaching into his pants pocket he removed a handkerchief and tied it around his nose and mouth; Rossi did the same. The heat was unbearable and the flames spreading rapidly. Everywhere he looked there were flames rapidly consuming everything. He jumped aside as a burning beam fell from the ceiling near the two agents barely missing Morgan. It was also now becoming impossible to see. The black agent began feeling like he was being roasted alive and while everything in him cried out for him to run outside, he refused to do so unless forced to bodily. Just the thought of leaving his boss, possibly alive, in this blaze was not an option.

"AARON! Can you hear us?" Rossi hollered looking around. "AARON! Are you here?" Rossi shouted. He had also jumped when the beam fell; but it made him realize how precarious things were. He knew they wouldn't be able to stay in this inferno much longer or they might be trapped and burned alive themselves. He began to wonder if his friend was already dead and the fire simply a ploy to cover it up. He'd rather think that than the alternative. He also was having trouble seeing like Morgan. And despite the handkerchiefs covering their noses and mouths, breathing was difficult. He grabbed Morgan's arm. "We can't stay in here too much longer," he cried out. "This place is going up too fast!" Morgan, hearing a noise above them, looked up and then pushed Rossi out of the way as a portion of the ceiling fell nearly landing on the older profiler.

Quickly realizing what nearly happened as he sat on his backside, Rossi edged away from the still burning portion of ceiling before his hand touched something which he realized was the bottom step of a stairwell. He suddenly felt himself being helped up by Morgan. "Rossi, get out of here!" he said. "I'll find Hotch!"

"Like hell!" Rossi protested. "I'm not leaving!" Morgan looked past him and noticed the stairwell.

"Then we stick together," Morgan replied grabbing Rossi's arm and pointing upstairs. "Let's check upstairs!" Both men took to the stairs, mounting the stairs two at a time.

* * *

Hotch lay on his back on the bed, too weak to move anymore. Between the thick smoke, the fumes, and his fruitless struggles, he was thoroughly exhausted to where he could no longer move. His lungs ached from smoke inhalation, sweat covered his entire upper body and his eyes burned. The nausea was overwhelming. His flesh felt like it was baking from the intense heat. For a brief moment he thought he heard his name being called. But it was so faint he figured he was mistaken, so disregarded it as wishful thinking. _"So this is what dying feels like,"_ he told himself. His eyelids were getting nearly too heavy to keep open now; the coughing was worse from the smoke; his breathing was labored at best, and his lungs felt as if they were on fire from the smoke. He managed to swallow an imaginary lump as his eyes slowly fluttered closed.

"Haley…Jack…love…you both," he murmured before his eyes closed and he began to fall into unconsciousness. As he did so he suspected he wouldn't live long past unconsciousness as the smoke inhalation would probably claim him before the flames did. It was so hard to breathe. He coughed again as he limply moved his head from side to side trying to find whatever air he could. He could feel his life slipping away slowly; minute by minute. _It won't be long now, _Hotch thought.

He was so far gone he never felt hands clutching at him, undoing the buckles holding the restraints on his arms and legs; nor did he feel himself being moved off the bed and onto the floor. His eyes fluttered open and he could only make out hazy shadows looking down at him, not people. He was having trouble seeing and thinking. He coughed again and each cough brought more discomfort to his chest. "Who….who…" he barely got the words out of his dry mouth. His voice was hoarse.

"Take it easy, Hotch," someone said. "We're gonna get you out of here."

Hotch couldn't make out the words spoken to him. Whenever he tried to take in a breath he heard himself wheezing. He felt himself being assisted into a sitting position and then something wet being wrapped around his shoulders. Then, he was being dragged to his feet and found all he wanted to do was fall down again but he was being held upright. _Maybe I'm being escorted to heaven, _he thought with a weak smile.

"C'mon, Hotch," the voice beside him said, but not the same voice as before. "We're gonna all get out of here, but first we have to get downstairs."

Hotch felt himself stagger as he tried to put one foot in front of the other before he collapsed onto the floor in a heap and blackness overtook him completely.

"This isn't going to work," Morgan said. "I'll have to carry him!" That's when both men noticed the flames had spread around the doorway of Hotch's room and were spreading across the ceiling in the bedroom. "We gotta get out now!" he told Rossi who nodded his agreement; he had seen the flames also. He watched Morgan scoop their boss up into his arms.

"He's gonna hate you for this," Rossi grinned.

"He can fire me in the morning," Morgan replied as they cautiously walked toward the door and away from the bed. Moments later there was a noise causing both men to look up and behind them to see a portion of the ceiling fall landing directly on the bed where only moments before their boss had lain.

"Shit!" Morgan cried out. "Let's get out of here!"


	23. Chapter 23Repercussions

**Chapter 23-Repercussions**

The first time Hotch realized he was alive was when he tried to take in a breathe and found his breathing though still difficult didn't hurt like it did before. It was now an ache. But how could that be? His eyelids began to flutter.

"I think he's beginning to wake up," somebody said; but just who the voice belonged to didn't register. Yet, Hotch thought it somehow sounded familiar. He felt something touch his uninjured shoulder. "Hotch? Can you hear me? You have to open your eyes. You can do it. C'mon, man."

His entire body hurt. He moaned as he struggled to open his eyes which refused to listen to his brain. He began to cough again which made his chest ache. As he tried moving a hand to his face, he felt he couldn't. He was just too exhausted.

"Aaron, honey. Please open your eyes and look at me. Please." This time it was a feminine voice that spoke.

Hotch swallowed and ran a tongue over his lips. Hearing the voice conjured up the image of his wife in his mind for some reason he couldn't fathom. "Haley…." he murmured moving his head from side to side trying to make his body obey his brain. His eyes struggled to open.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me. Haley," the female voice seemed excited now. "Please open your eyes and look at me. Your whole team is here…well, all except Garcia and JJ, but they're on their way. They'll be here soon."

_His entire team is here? Haley is here? _Hotch thought to himself as he coughed again._ Did Armitage go after them too? Or am I in heaven with them?_ Then, with whatever strength he could muster in his weakened state, Hotch opened his eyes and waited until the fogginess cleared and the images came into focus. "Haley?" he asked with a hoarse voice. "Wha…what are you doing here?" he looked around and saw a white, sterile-looking room and frowned. His eyes took in the wires and machines he was hooked up to and became momentarily confused. "Wait…where…is here?" Before anybody could respond, Haley leaned over and pressed her lips onto those of her husband and kissed him passionately. Then, with tears in her eyes, Haley straightened and held her husband's hand in one of hers while with the other, she stroked his dark hair lovingly.

Feeling somebody still gripping his good shoulder he looked over and saw Rossi's smiling face. "You're in a hospital, Aaron," he said. "Morgan and I got you out of that burning structure shortly before the entire place was engulfed in flames." He looked over at Morgan who stood at the foot of the bed with a smiling Prentiss and Reid beside him.

Hotch slowly turned his head in the direction of Morgan, and managed a weak smile. "Thank…you," was all he could utter. To Hotch a simple 'thank you' seemed so inadequate, but his eyes were bright and said everything that he couldn't verbalize. He saw Morgan smile widely.

"You're welcome, man," was all the black agent needed to say. To him, Hotch didn't need to say anything else.

Hotch's eyes fell on Prentiss and Reid. "Thank…you…" he managed.

Reid, hands stuffed in his pants pockets, took a few steps until he stood close to the head of the bed on the opposite side. Hotch looked at him. He saw Reid swallow nervously. "Reid….I…." But the young agent held up a hand and shushed his boss.

"Don't thank me. I'm just so glad we got to you in time." He struggled to keep his emotions in check not wanting to cry in front of his boss. "Hotch, we couldn't lose you. I couldn't lose you. You're important to all of us. We weren't going to lose you without a fight."

Seeing his youngest agent about to 'lose it,' Hotch smiled and nodded at him knowingly. Reid blinked away his tears and with a smile on his face, walked back to where Morgan and Emily stood. Hotch then looked between Rossi and Haley again.

"How long…here…?" he asked.

"In the hospital?" asked Rossi, puzzled. He saw Hotch nod. "You've been here about a week so far. You were moved to a regular room after three days in ICU because of the infection from a cut to your face and shoulder, plus they weren't sure of the damage from smoke inhalation."

"How…am…I?" Hotch then asked.

"It was touch and go in the ambulance," Rossi explained guardedly. He didn't want to overwhelm his friend with too many facts until he was stronger. But he also knew his friend wouldn't let the subject drop. "We lost you twice in the ambulance on the way here, but the EMTs performed CPR and were able to bring you back both times. They started an IV and put you on oxygen right away. You inhaled a lot of smoke before we got you out of there."

Hotch swallowed slowly; his throat hurt. "Armitage…."

Rossi patted his friend's shoulder knowing the question would come up and still didn't know how he would or even if he would answer it. Fortunately, he didn't have to. It was then the doctor walked into the room. He smiled warmly at the small group and Haley before focusing on the man in the bed.

"Agent Hotchner, it's good to see you've rejoined us. You had us quite worried all things considered. By the way, I'm Doctor Blandon." He looked around at the others. "I request all of you to leave now while I examine Agent Hotchner. You can come back in after I'm finished."

Reluctantly, everybody filed out of the room promising they would wait in the corridor.

After they had left, Dr. Blandon smiled at Hotch. "I need you to breath for me, Agent Hotchner…."

* * *

In the corridor outside Hotch's room, Rossi, followed by the other three, took Haley's elbow and guided her a short way down the hall so they could talk.

"Haley, when the doctor says we can go back inside, I think you should go back in alone and visit with him."

Haley's brown eyes appeared puzzled. "But why? Dave, he's going to ask why you and the others left. What am I suppose to tell him?"

"Tell him we got a call from Chief Strauss summoning us back to the office and had to leave," Morgan explained. "But that we'll be back later to see him. Hopefully we'll have heard from the medical examiner before then."

Haley's eyes darted back and forth between the four agents. "There's something you're not telling me," she said, concerned. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Rossi and Morgan eyed each other warily. "You'd better tell her, man," Morgan suggested.

Rossi nodded then exhaled deeply. "We don't want you to become concerned or alarmed in any way; but there's a possibility Jason Armitage escaped from the burning house and got away. We don't want Aaron to know in his weakened condition, but you have a right to know. All we ask is that you don't tell him; not right now anyway. We'll tell him when he's stronger."

"Besides," Morgan added. "It might not be necessary. A body was found in the house but was burned beyond recognition to know for sure whether it belongs to Armitage. We have to wait for the medical examiner to get back to us. We had a rush put on it so it shouldn't be much longer before we know for sure."

Rossi gripped both of Haley's shoulders and turning her towards him, looked her directly in the eyes. "Please. Don't mention it to Hotch. You know him. He'll start to worry and in his condition that won't do him any good. It could cause problems with his recovery. Can you do it?"

Haley let out a deep breath as she covered her mouth with her fingertips; her eyes glistening. "I can do it," she said shakily. "Just promise me if he's still out there you'll catch him before he comes after Aaron again."

"I promise you, Haley," Rossi said. "No harm will come to Aaron. You have our word on that." He looked up when they saw Doctor Blandon emerging from Hotch's room. Haley quickly pulled herself together knowing she would shortly be returning to her husband's side.

"How is he?" asked Rossi, worried. The others gathered close around him.

Blandon exhaled and folded his arms. "Overall, I'm pleased with his rate of recovery. As you are aware, Agent Hotchner's injuries were numerous and most are healing quite nicely. We also had to perform surgery to repair his rectum which was torn from the sexual assault. His breathing is improving although his lungs are still somewhat congested so we'll be keeping him on the oxygen until the wheezing is completely gone. We'll also continue him on fluids and antibiotics as well as medicine for pain and possible swelling."

"I sense a but…" Rossi interjected with narrowed eyes.

"There is," Blandon replied. "As you all know, Agent Hotchner had begun developing an infection in one cut to his face and the stab wound to his left shoulder. Now the infection is responding nicely to the antibiotics and the cuts to his face and neck are healing as well."

"Let's have it, doc," Morgan urged, sensing they were about to get some awful news. "What is it? Hotch will recover, won't he?"

"Yes he will, Agent Morgan. Although the cuts to his abdomen and stab wound to his shoulder will heal nicely with no problem, I'm concerned about the cuts to his face and neck."

"They'll heal as well won't they?" asked Prentiss, worried where the doctor's explanation of Hotch's injuries was heading.

"Yes, they'll heal. But there will be scars once they do; especially those to his face and throat. At this point it's too soon to determine if we can even fix them with surgery."

"Oh God!" Haley cried as she buried her face in her hands and shook her head. Looking up again she eyed the doctor. "You mean Aaron could be permanently scarred?"

Blandon sighed. "It's possible. It's just too soon to tell. But even if we are able to fix his face and throat, it won't be for at least six weeks before anything can be done surgically. The injuries must be thoroughly healed first."

"Does he know?" asked a shaken Rossi.

"Not yet. I didn't think he should be told in his weakened condition. When he's a bit stronger I will tell him what he can expect, and whether or not we can do anything about it." Smiling faintly, Blandon put a hand on Haley's shoulder. "Think positive, Mrs. Hotchner. Your husband is a strong young man to have endured what he did and still be alive. Shows he has a strong will. In fact….despite the scars on his face and throat, if he keeps improving as he is, he could go home in two or three days."

"Really? That's good isn't it?" Haley asked. Then, she suddenly paused as she realized the implications of what Doctor Blandon was saying. "He's going to want to see Jack as soon as he gets home."

Blandon's eyes narrowed. "Is there a problem, Mrs. Hotchner?"

"Our son Jack; he's only five. How's he going to react seeing his father's face cut up like it is? I mean, it was hard enough for me to see Aaron's face like that. But to a five-year-old…."

Blandon folded his arms. "He might be frightened seeing the scars because of his age. But from what you've told me about the relationship between your husband and son, I believe if you sit him down and explain things to him about his father's injuries, he might end up being more scared _for _his daddy than _of_ his daddy."

Haley looked at Rossi and Morgan for their opinions.

"I think despite his age, Jack just might surprise you," Rossi said. "After all, he's a smart little boy."

Haley looked at the doctor again and exhaled. "I'll think about what you told me," she said softly. "Can we see Aaron now?" Haley asked, her mind still whirling around trying to absorb everything.

"Of course. Go right in. I'll be checking on Agent Hotchner later. And try not to worry." Smiling grimly, Blandon glanced at the small group before turning and walking away.

Now alone with the four agents, Haley ran her hands over her head. "Jack's going to want to see his daddy once he finds out he's in the hospital," she said wearily. "I suppose I could explain to him about Aaron's face as Dr. Blandon suggests. But I really don't want to frighten Jack. If he sees Aaron and he does become frightened, Aaron's going to hate himself, and I don't want that. Maybe I should just send Jack to stay with my sister for awhile."

Morgan's face was unreadable. "Haley, you sure you want to do that? I mean, Dr. Blandon said it could be six weeks before he can surgically repair Hotch's face and that's if he can. You prepared to send Jack to your sister's for six weeks?"

Rossi forced a smile to his face as he looked at the woman. "Why don't you explain things to Jack and see how he feels about seeing his father with his injuries. I really think you're underestimating your little boy. He loves his father very much. I don't think a few scars on his face will change that. But right now, you'd better get back in there with your husband before he finds a way to leave his bed and look for you."

"Thank you, Dave. All of you. Thank you for bringing Aaron back to Jack and I alive." She turned and headed back in the direction of her husband's room while the agents stood by and watched her. Reid, his eyes bright with unshed tears looked at Prentiss as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Then, the two of them looked at Morgan and Rossi who both looked stricken.

"I'm telling you right now, Rossi," Morgan mumbled. "That body found in that house better be Armitage because if it isn't, and I get my hands on him, I'm gonna mess up his face just like he did Hotch's."

"I hear you," Rossi added quietly.

"So what are we going to do if Hotch is scarred permanently?" asked Reid quietly with hands shoved in his pockets. "He always took pride in his looks and to have that ripped from him by Armitage with everything else he's done to him is going to destroy him."

"Reid's right," Prentiss admitted. "Right now all we can do is wait and see. But if it turns out the scars are permanent, we're going to do what we always do….we're going to watch his back and let him know his appearance doesn't matter to us. How he looks has nothing to do with him being able to do his job."

"Morgan! Rossi!" a voice shouted from down the hall.

Turning, the agents spotted Garcia and JJ running towards them.

"Thank God you both got here before we left," Prentiss said. "Haley's in with Hotch."

"How's the boss-man?" asked Garcia. "Is he awake yet?"

"He woke up a short while ago," Reid explained. He's still a bit out of it, but he's able to understand and talk. But his voice is a bit hoarse.

"Is he all right?" JJ asked her bright blue eyes darting everywhere. "I mean, will he be all right?"

Rossi groaned and took JJ's arm. "Perhaps you and Garcia should have a seat while we discuss a few things about Hotch."

"We don't want to sit down," JJ replied jerking her arm out of Rossi's hand. "Dave, you're scaring us. What's wrong? Is Hotch going to be all right or isn't he?" she asked.

"You'd better explain yourself, boss," Garcia interjected, annoyed. "Because if you don't you're going to need a doctor because I'm going to hurt you."

With that Rossi exhaled and repeated everything the doctor told them. Both women winced at the possibility that the injuries to their boss's face and throat might be permanent, causing Garcia to lose it completely while JJ, her eyes brimming with tears, put her fingertips to her lips. They both recalled cringing at the sight of the cuts marring their boss's handsome face when they first saw them after he'd been brought to the hospital. The mere thought they might become permanent had never entered their minds, until now.

"Oh no!" Garcia sobbed. "No! Not Hotch. No." She felt a pair of arms embrace her and seeing it was Morgan, buried her face in his chest and cried. "Not Hotch! Not him!" her words, though still understandable, were muffled.

Rossi, Prentiss and Reid gathered around the media liaison as she looked to be going into shock. Reid put a hand on her arm.

"JJ?" he asked nervously. "It's going to be all right. Hotch will be all right." He barely had a chance to react when JJ wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head on his shoulder. He immediately hugged her with one arm and with the other, stroked the back of her head as her soft sobs could be heard. "It's gonna be okay," he murmured into her ear in a low voice. "I promise you."

JJ raised her head to look at him with wet, red eyes. "You promise? Hotch will be all right? I mean really all right?"

Reid smiled as best he could. "I promise. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"No. It's just that…."

"It's just nothing," Reid pushed a strand of JJ's hair behind her ear. "Hotch will be fine. And whatever happens with the cuts to his face and neck, we're going to be there for him and help him just like we always do."

JJ allowed herself a faint smile at Reid's words. She wiped at her eyes as she regained her composure.

"Morgan," Garcia looked up into the black agent's face. "Does Hotch know?"

"Not yet," Morgan said looking into her eyes. "The doctor doesn't think he can handle the news right now. He also doesn't know whether Armitage is alive or not. The four of us…Reid, Rossi, Emily and I all decided Hotch isn't strong enough to know his kidnapper may still be out there. We told Haley to let Hotch think we had to return to the office because of Strauss because he started asking Rossi about him. She agreed to keep it quiet as well."

Composing herself, Garcia removed her glasses and wiped her eyes before putting them back on again. She let out a deep breath. "My poor liege," she said. "I'm going to give him all the TLC he can handle and then some."

"And I have to make sure he understands that even if those scars on his face and neck are permanent, to me he's still the man he was," added JJ. She looked at Rossi. "I know you said Haley was with him right now, but do you think she'd mind if we said hello?"

Rossi smiled. "I don't think either of them would mind."

Smiling, JJ motioned with her head towards Penelope and the two women walked the short distance down the hall to their boss's room and looked in. They spotted Hotch and Haley with their heads close, and Haley's forehead pressed against the side of her husband's head. It was Hotch who noticed them standing in the doorway.

"I think… we…have company…" he said.

Haley lifted her head and with a smile, looked at the women. "Come on in and say hi," she said beckoning the two women into the room. As they entered, she kissed the top of her husband's head and stood up. She gave a last look at her husband. "Aaron, I have to go now. But I promise to return later this evening and visit again." She waved goodbye to him before walking out the door. The minute she was gone, Garcia hurried forward and gently hugged her boss and friend. She kissed the top of his head.

"I'm so sorry, sir," she cried burying her head on his good shoulder. Hotch used his good hand to pat the tech analyst's back.

"Sorry….about…what?" he asked.

"Everything," Garcia said lifting her head to look into his deep-set brown eyes. She inwardly cringed at the scars on his face and neck but made sure to hide her reaction from him. "How do you feel, sir? And don't lie to me because I'll know it and there'll be hell to pay."

With the corners of his mouth turning upward, Hotch tried to laugh but ended up turning away as a coughing attack took over. Once it had subsided, he turned back to look at her and saw the fear and worry in her eyes. "I…don't hurt…as much….chest still….aches…from smoke."

Penelope swallowed hard. "Sir, I…."

Hotch put a finger on her lips. "Don't…apolo…gize. Will be…all right. Seeing….your…beau…tiful face…makes me…feel bet…ter."

Blushing, Garcia stood up and with a smile as big as day, she waved a hand at Hotch. "Flattery will get you everywhere, my liege. Sir, if you think you will escape the pampering of the all-powerful Goddess of Technical Wonder, you are sadly mistaken. So there." She smiled again when she saw her boss return her smile.

"Looking…for…ward…to it." His eyes shifted until they fell on his media liaison. "JJ."

The blond slowly approached the bed and after Garcia had stepped out of the way, occupied the spot her friend had just vacated. She leaned over and kissed the top of Hotch's head as well before taking one of his hands in hers and squeezing. "I am so glad you're alive," she said smiling despite her tears.

"JJ…so sorry…about….what I…said…." But he was shushed by the blond woman.

"Don't you dare apologize. I wanted you to say what you did to keep him from hurting you," JJ wiped her cheeks with one hand while holding Hotch's hand in the other. "If I had to make you say those things to me again I'd do it in a heartbeat if it meant keeping you from being hurt. Don't you ever apologize again for it. Okay?"

"For…now…" Hotch said. "Wait until….get out of….hospital."

JJ chuckled. "Don't think you can apologize then either, Hotch. I'm not embarrassed by it, so neither should you be. And I'm going to keep telling you that until you realize it." As she looked into her friend's face, JJ inwardly cried looking at the scars and knew not only would Hotch have a fight on his hands if they were permanent, but she and the others would be right there with him to help him through it however they could.

"We're going to leave now so you can get some rest, Hotch," JJ said. "But I promise you we'll be back to see you again soon." She started to release Hotch's hand but he gripped hers tightly stopping her.

"JJ….before….you go….tell me something."

"If I can. What is it?"

"I saw….the cuts…on….my face. How bad?"

JJ shook her head. "Hotch….."

"How….bad?" His voice and face seemed to be almost pleading.

JJ and Garcia exchanged concerned looks. From Hotch's question they knew if he had seen the cuts to his face he already knew how bad they looked. What he was looking for was how bad they looked to another person; especially to a woman.

"Hotch…." JJ put a hand on top of Hotch's and smiled affectionately. "I won't lie to you. They are bad. But they're still healing, and in time, they will be just a bad memory. But to us, you'll always be the same handsome, charming Unit Chief we know and love. Nothing will ever change that. Now get some rest."


	24. Chapter 24Healing

**This story was to have been completed by now, but I received emails from several people who suggested I shouldn't rush through Hotch's recovery. So, I added two additional chapters covering his recovery from his ordeal. Also, I hope I got down how a five-year-old talks.***

**Chapter 24-Healing**

Hotch lay in the bed gazing up at the ceiling of his hospital room hours after Haley and his team left. A tear rolled down his cheeks from the corners of both eyes. He sensed his wife had tried; had really tried to handle how he looked, but despite the attempt, he could tell by her eyes that she was disgusted by his looks. And he didn't believe a word of the excuse Rossi had Haley give him as to why they were leaving. Their leaving had nothing to do with Strauss. He was positive. It had to do with his face and his losing control on that video. They were all disgusted and frightened by him. _"You were a fool to think your wife could overlook how you look now and that your team could either much less what you did on that video," _he said softly to himself. "_A complete and total fool!"_ Mindful of the wire connected to the oxygen machine, Hotch wiped at his eyes with his fingers before turning his head toward the window to stare out at the approaching evening. It wouldn't even surprise him if none of them returned.

It was then his mind turned to thoughts of his son. If by some twist of fate Haley brought Jack to see him how would the little boy react seeing his father's marred face? _I'll tell you how'd he react, Aaron, _Hotch thought, _he'd think you look like one of those monsters who hid under his bed that he wanted you to scare away before he could go to sleep. He'd be afraid of you is what he'd be. Hell, to my son I won't be daddy anymore, I'd be a monster!_ Hotch began to sob quietly and cover his face with a hand. His arms ached to hold his little boy again and tell him everything would be okay. His heart ached knowing that would never be. Armitage had taken his son away as well as his pride, dignity, and self-respect, and left him with self-loathing, shame and humiliation. Not much of a trade-off.

As the evening wore on, one of the hospital orderlies brought Hotch his dinner. The agent was facing the window again and didn't acknowledge the orderly standing there with the tray. "Take it… away," he said hoarsely. "Not…hungry…."

"Agent Hotchner, you have to eat to regain your strength even if it's only broth, juice and tea. Doctor Blandon's orders."

"Don't….care….don't want it…go away."

The orderly turned when he heard footsteps behind him and noticed Dr. Blandon. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Agent Hotchner refuses to eat his dinner, doctor," the orderly said.

Blandon shook his head sadly. He suspected this would happen when his patient was alone. "Aaron, I'm hoping to discharge you in two or three days so you can go home. But if you refuse to eat, I won't be able to do that. Also, I'd have to order you fed intravenously thereby forcing me to keep you here longer. Don't you want to go home and see your son? Believe you have a little boy, don't you?"

"Yes," Hotch replied continuing to stare out the window. "Jack. He's five."

"Well, don't you want to see Jack, Aaron? I'm sure he wants to see his daddy very much."

Hotch smirked. "After he….sees my….face….he won't. Be scared of me. They're all….scared of me."

Blandon glanced at the aide. "Put Agent Hotchner's tray on the table and leave us please."

"Yes sir." The orderly did as instructed. Once they were alone, Blandon resumed the conversation.

"Why do you say that? Children are able to adapt to any situation, good or bad. From what I know of your son from your wife and co-workers, he sounds like the kind of child who wouldn't let a few scars on your face bother him." While waiting for an answer, Blandon thought he heard a sobbing noise from Hotch and figured the man was crying. He thought he finally understood Hotch's sudden refusal to cooperate. He was afraid to leave and go home because of the way his face looked now; afraid to have his son see him this way, yet very much wanting and needing to see his son.

Hearing a noise behind him Blandon looked over his shoulder and smiled at the trio of people approaching. He looked back at his patient. "I'll be right back, Aaron." Leaving the room, Blandon approached the threesome and shook hands with the two adults. "Agent Rossi, Mrs. Hotchner." He then looked down at the little blond haired child who partially hid behind his mother's legs, looking up at him. "And this must be Jack."

Haley smiled faintly. "I explained to him about his father's facial injuries as you suggested, Dr. Blandon," Haley said. "I told him that a bad man hurt his daddy very badly and that his face was hurt. He said he wanted to see his daddy and I just couldn't say no. So here we are."

Blandon put a hand on her shoulder. "Your timing was perfect, Mrs. Hotchner," he said. "Aaron's a bit depressed right now and refuses to eat."

"What happened since we left earlier, doctor?" asked a concerned Rossi.

Blandon sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. "It seems, Agent Rossi, that Agent Hotchner took you and your team's leaving earlier as a sign none of you wanted to be near him because of his facial injuries. And now he's refusing to eat because I think he hopes by doing that I'll keep him here so he can't go home in two or three days."

"I don't understand," said Haley, deeply worried. "We had such a good visit earlier. Why would he suddenly not want to come home?"

"I think he's afraid he'll frighten his son with his injuries despite very much wanting to see his son. How Jack reacts to him will go a long way towards Aaron's recovery."

"Can we see him?" she asked.

"Of course," Blandon replied. "Please go right in. I hope seeing Jack will cheer him up."

Haley started to walk forward and suddenly stopped looking back at Rossi. "Dave? Don't you want to come with us?"

Rossi smiled warmly. "You and Jack go ahead. I'll wait out here and talk with Dr. Blandon. Good luck."

Haley smiled at Rossi. "Thank you," she said before grabbing Jack's hand and walking toward her husband's room while Rossi and Blandon both sat down on chairs up against the wall; Rossi with legs crossed and arms folded, and Blandon leaning forward with arms on his thighs; both men watching closely as they had a view of Hotch's room.

Haley didn't say anything as she stood in the doorway of her husband's room; then slowly, she took a few tentative steps inside still holding her son's hand tightly. She noticed her husband still had his head turned facing the window and had to have seen her reflection in it. When he didn't respond to Jack's presence she began to suspect that perhaps he had his eyes closed. "Aaron, honey…."

"Go away….don't come….closer," he murmured shakily. "I know….you don't….can't stand….to see….my face. Disgusts you."

Haley wiped away a tear that was threatening to fall. "That's not true, Aaron. I love you so much." She got no response. "Aaron, somebody here wants to say hello to you."

Hotch still didn't reply. He surmised it was probably Haley's sister, Jessica. _"Haley wouldn't subject our son to his freaky father," _he told himself. Sobbing could be heard and Haley's heart began to break. She took another step forward. Looking at her son she released his hand and motioned with her heard toward the bed.

"Hi, daddy," Jack said softly as he approached the bed, his eyes on his father.

Hotch's eyes which had been shut the entire time he faced the window, now opened, and he turned towards the door. He was glad the only light into the room was from the fluorescent lighting in the hall so Jack didn't have a clear look at his face. The corners of his mouth turned upward. "Hey, buddy. I sure missed you. How are you?" He hoped his son wouldn't come any closer.

"Fine," he said his eyes never straying. He came closer.

"Don't come closer, son," Hotch responded. Jack froze.

"Why?" he asked sadly with a puzzled look.

"Daddy was hurt by a bad man very badly and….well….his face was hurt." He saw his son looking up at him sadly.

"What happened, daddy?"

Hotch swallowed the lump in his throat. He ached so badly right now to hold that little body in his arms but he just couldn't subject Jack to him as he now was. _"Who are you kidding, Aaron," _he told himself glumly. _"You're permanently scarred and you're going to look like this forever. And there's nothing anybody can do." _He smirked. _"Something else Armitage ripped away from you."_

Jack looked over at Haley for a minute. Thinking she understood, she stepped forward and picking Jack up, sat him down on the bed beside Hotch who did his best to shield his face from his son's sad eyes. But when Jack Hotchner made up his mind about something, he would not be deterred. Scooting closer to his father, he grabbed his father's hand, and gently pulled it away from Hotch's face and tilted his head as he studied the scars. Tentatively reaching out a small hand, he touched one of the scars on his father's face with a finger.

"Does it hurt, daddy?" he asked sadly his eyes looking directly into his father's face with no fear whatsoever.

"At first," Hotch replied. "Not….so much….now." Dare he hope?

"Daddy, I gots a present for you," Jack replied as he searched through his pockets until he found what he was looking for. Finally finding it, he pulled it out and held it in a closed fist. "It's a surprise. You gotta close your eyes first, then hold out your hand."

Hotch did as Jack instructed, and soon felt several small things dropped in his hand.

"You can open your eyes, daddy." Hotch did and saw several Spiderman band-aids in his palm. He looked questioningly at Haley who shrugged her shoulders. Hotch then looked at his son who was smiling widely. "They're really nice, Jack…but….what are….they for?"

Jack put his hands on his small hips and pouted. "They're Spiderman ban aids, silly. They'll cover your boo-boos."

Hotch could feel his eyes brimming and noticed Haley cover her mouth with her fingers, her own eyes brimming.

"I loves you, daddy, Jack said wrapping his short arms around his father's neck and hugging him with all his strength. He then kissed one scarred cheek. "Evrything's gonna be 'k."

Hotch embraced his son's small body in his strong arms and held him tightly against him, mindful of the IV cannula in the back of his hand, squeezing his own eyes shut and letting his tears fall unashamedly. Haley came closer and embraced her son and husband together, resting a cheek on her husband's head. "I love you, Aaron," she said softly. She kissed his temple then lay her cheek on his head again. "Our vows said 'for better or for worse', and we're going to get through this together. A few scars won't scare me away."

Neither of them noticed Dr. Blandon and David Rossi quietly standing outside the room having heard part of the conversation between father and son. Blandon smiled as he wiped at something he believed was in his eye. "I'd say Agent Hotchner needn't worry about his son's reaction to his scars even if they should be permanent," he said in a low voice.

"Told you he was a smart little boy," Rossi added with a delighted grin on his face. "He somehow always knows what Aaron needs and when he needs it."

* * *

After Haley and Jack had left promising they would visit again tomorrow, Hotch began to relax. He had even informed Dr. Blandon he was hungry; the doctor had no problem with seeing that the now cold food on the tray from earlier was removed and a Styrofoam bowl of hot broth, juice, tea and jello was brought to him right away. After the doctor left, Rossi entered the room and sat in the chair beside the bed. He smiled at his friend.

"Feeling better now, Aaron?" he asked.

"Yeah….I do. Jack doesn't….hate me. Isn't….scared of….me." The corners of his mouth curled up into a smile.

Rossi grinned. "I know. Dr. Blandon and I heard most of it from outside the room. I'm very happy for you, Aaron. You deserve some happiness after what you've been through the last few days." He noticed his friend's eyebrows knit together looking like something was on his mind. "Something you want to ask me?"

"Curious…how did you….find me?"

"It wasn't easy, believe me," Rossi began leaning forward in the chair with his arms on his thighs rubbing his hands together. "Reid figured out the anagram for the names you gave me and that led Garcia to find the info on her computer for a Brenda Scoop."

"What….ana….gram. Only gave….you one."

Rossi 's face turned red with embarrassment. "Uh, I was sleeping in your office and you appeared to me in a dream. I asked you if there was some clue you could give me so we could find you." He saw Hotch's eyebrows arch in surprise. "You said to think of Shane and Brandon Cooper when I thought of you. Reid figured out an anagram for a B and S Cooper which was Brenda Scoop who dated Shane Cooper for awhile. The house we found you in was bought, for cash, under her name in Fairfax after she died. When we got there, the place was already on fire."

"Wait. You had….a dream…'bout me?"

Rossi smirked. "It was either you or Strauss," he said with a chuckle. The older agent paused when two orderlies entered the room carrying separate trays, putting both on the table leaning over Hotch's bed. Hotch eyed both trays curiously before looking at the orderlies, both of whom were smiling.

"Courtesy of Dr. Blandon, Agent Hotchner. Agent Rossi, since you're here, Dr. Blandon thought you might want to have dinner with Agent Hotchner."

Rossi and Hotch exchanged grins; then Hotch looked at the orderlies. "Tell the doc…tor…thank you."

"Yes, sir. Enjoy your dinner." They left leaving the agents alone.

Rossi lifted the cover off the broth. "Bon appetite, Aaron," he said as he picked up the Styrofoam bowl and began to eat as did Hotch. Neither man had realized how hungry they really were. It didn't take either of them long to finish the broth. Hotch grabbed the red jello while Rossi grabbed the juice.

"How….did you…Morgan….get me out?"

"That was difficult," the older agent said tiredly. "The firemen weren't going to let us go inside because by the time we got there the house was nearly fully engulfed; but you know Morgan. Well, once we were inside the ceiling started to collapse around us. We decided to search upstairs and were able to locate you strapped on a bed. We got you untied and put you on the floor where I took a blanket from the bed and soaked it in water and wrapped it around you. Then Morgan and I tried to get you to your feet so we could leave, but the flames by then were spreading into the room, and part of the ceiling over the bed collapsed and landed directly where you had just been on the bed. Anyway, when we tried to get you out you passed out so Morgan carried you in his arms." He saw Hotch give him a dark look which wasn't in anger.

Rossi smirked. "I told him you'd hate it. He said you could fire him later for it. Anyway, the flames were blocking our way out. That's when several firefighters appeared and sprayed us both with water and then led us out while spraying water around us making a path to the front door. Shortly after we got out the entire building became engulfed. JJ made sure an ambulance was waiting for us and Morgan and I rode to the hospital with you." His face clouded suddenly. "I don't have to tell you, Aaron, how afraid we both were when we lost you twice on the way here; fortunately, the EMTs were able to bring you back both times." He kept his eyes focused on his friend. "Aaron, I am never letting you out of my sight again."

Hotch sat the empty jello cup on the tray and grabbed his juice. There was a question he needed the answer to while at the same time was afraid to hear the answer.

"Armitage escaped…didn't he?"

Rossi finished his juice and after tossing the empty container onto his tray, looked at his hands unable to meet his friend's eyes. "Yeah, he did," he said softly. He then looked up and noticed Hotch staring into his juice container.

"I thought so," was all he said grimly.

"We found a burned body in the house and we were hopeful. But the M.E. had to identify the body through dental records and it turned out to be that of….

"Shane Cooper. I know."

Rossi's eyebrows knitted together this time. "How did you know?" he asked.

"Armi….tage told me. Killed him….after he helped….him set up….trap for me."

Rossi sadly nodded and went back to staring at his hands. "I don't want you to worry, Aaron," he said. "We will move heaven and earth to make sure he never gets near you or your family. We'll find him. I promise you we'll find him."

Hotch let his head fall back on his pillow and swallowed hard as he stared up at the ceiling. He sighed wearily. After a minute he turned his face toward his friend. "Dave….whatever….happens….just make….sure that….Jack and Haley….are safe. Don't let….him….get to them."

"Don't worry. I give you my word as your best friend we will find him. Also…" Rossi checked his watch. "As soon as we heard from the M.E. I made a call to Strauss and explained the situation to her and suggested she have security here to keep watch over you until you're discharged from the hospital just in case he shows up. There will also be security watching Haley and Jack. After you're discharged, the security will continue until Armitage is either captured or dead, whichever comes first."

Hotch arched an inquisitive eyebrow and smirked. He knew Rossi only too well.

"Suggested, Dave?"

Rossi chuckled. "Okay. Suggested. Insisted. Threatened. Whatever. I was prepared to call in some favors if she refused which she didn't. Plus she knows if she refused she could very well be fired; especially if the higher ups found out. Security should be here in a few minutes. I already explained things to Dr. Blandon while Haley and Jack were visiting. He'll make sure the staff is made aware as well."

Hotch exhaled deeply. "Dave…I need….to know….two things. Be….honest."

"If I can. What do you want to know?"

"My face. If scars are….permanent….would you….take over team….for me. New Unit Chief." Seeing Rossi about to argue, Hotch held up a hand stopping him. "I'm not...being vain. Permanent scars will...be constant reminder I...lost control. Confidence to do job...would be gone...couldn't...lead team...that way."

"Aaron, let's not assume anything at this point. Let's just wait and see what happens. You're still fighting an infection in two of those cuts. Give yourself a chance to heal and go from there."

"I will. Just want to….have…option. Will you?"

"If it'll shut you up yes. But let's see what happens first. Okay?" He noticed his friend smile. "Now what's the other thing?"

"Last tape. My….reaction on it….I..." he saw Rossi hold up a hand.

"Hold it right there, my friend. I know what you're gonna ask. First, nobody thinks less of you for what happened. You can't control everything, Aaron, no matter what you'd like to think. Nobody can. Everybody on your team still has the highest regard and respect for you. I hope you believe me because if you don't, I'm going to keep saying it until it penetrates that thick skull of yours that nobody blames you in any way. If anything, we all feel rage that he would do that to you simply to degrade and humiliate you. Between you and me, Aaron, if I catch the bastard first, he'll never see the inside of a jail cell."

Hotch's eyes widened hearing an anger in his friend's voice he had never heard before, and he'd seen Rossi angry several times in their friendship. It made him aware of the depth of Rossi's feelings for him. "Dave….gonna pretend….I didn't….hear that."

Rossi looked at his hands again. "Good. Because Morgan feels the same way I do. I suspect so do Garcia, Emily and JJ. Reid, I think, has ideas of his own as to what he'd like to see happen to Armitage for what he's done to you."

Hotch momentarily closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he opened them again, he noticed Rossi's expression hadn't changed.

"Dave….I understand how the team feels….but I don't….want anybody….taking the law…into…their own hands when….catch Armitage."

Rossi sighed. "Aaron, don't worry. What we'd like to do or see done to Armitage is just that. What'd we like to see happen or like to do. But your team will do everything by the book."

Both Rossi and Hotch looked around as one of the hospital security guards looked in. "Agent Rossi, the security people you've been waiting for are here."

"Thank you," Rossi replied tiredly. Exhaling, he got to his feet and patted Hotch's good shoulder. "I'm going to give security their orders, then I'm heading home. Sleep well, my friend. Since you're alive and apparently on the road to recovery, Strauss figures it's a matter of time before the locals find Armitage, so she's ordered us to stand down for a week. So we'll all be here tomorrow for a visit after I check with Haley about the security for her and Jack. Goodnight." He started to walk away when Hotch reached out and grabbed his wrist. Rossi looked over his shoulder.

"Dave….thank you, team….for everything….and for not ….giving up on me. I owe you all…my life."

"You don't owe us anything," Rossi replied with a grin. "But if you insist, you can pay us back by not making any rushed decisions and waiting to hear what the doctor says, and then think long and hard as to whether or not you want to come back to the BAU. If you decide not to return, let it be because you honestly believe you can no longer be effective in your job, and not because your face may be permanently scarred. Just promise me that, Aaron."

Hotch smiled. "I promise."


	25. Chapter 25Promises Filled and Unfulfi

**Chapter 25-Promises Filled and Unfulfilled**

Aaron Hotchner never noticed or heard the man walk quietly into his room never taking his eyes off the form in the bed and sitting down in the chair.

_Hotch believed himself safe from his captor despite the fact that Armitage had somehow escaped the inferno he had set to kill him. After-all, the Bureau had assigned security to protect him while he was in the hospital. And the proof was there had to be at least one, possibly two, security men standing outside his room. A small smile appeared on his face. Suddenly he felt a hand cover his mouth and the bed dip down as someone lay down beside him. Frantically Hotch began to struggle against the hand over his mouth; but suddenly felt the cold steel of a blade against his throat._

"_I suggest you be very quiet, Aaron," said a familiar voice that froze the profiler's blood. "Or I will not hesitate to cut your throat right here and now." He blew a puff of warm breath in Hotch's ear causing the agent to squeeze his eyes shut and stifle a whimper. He wouldn't let this man see how terrified he was. "We have so much catching up to do." Hotch cringed as sloppy kisses were planted on his cheek and neck. "So much catching up."_

"_How did you get in here?" Hotch managed to ask when the hand covering his mouth was removed and placed against his throat. "There are security guards…."_

"_They don't know I'm in here, Aaron," he whispered. "I was in the closet before they came. And now the door is closed and the lights out, so they think you are asleep like a good little patient. We have all night together to make love."_

_This time Hotch couldn't stop the whimper at what he knew was coming. He felt the man's body pressed against his. "What do you want, Armitage?" he asked, his voice trembling._

"_You know what I want, Aaron. A promise unfulfilled which is the taking of your life after I make you suffer," he replied sweetly as he transferred the knife to the hand against Hotch's throat; then with the now free hand, began pulling Hotch's gown upward, exposing the lower half of his body. "I am going to tear you apart inside. And you are not going to make one sound; because if you do, I will slit your throat. So shall we begin?" That said, he pushed down his own pants, then roughly pushed himself completely inside Hotchner who bit his lower lip to keep from crying out in pain mindful of the blade pressing against his injured throat._

"No!" Hotch screamed as his eyes flew open oblivious to Rossi who was sitting in the chair beside the bed reading a magazine, and Morgan sitting near the door with arms folded, watching him. Both saw the terror in their boss's eyes, and it only took a moment to know what or who had caused it. Both men immediately abandoned what they were doing and approached the bed, both looking concerned and scared.

"Where…is he?" Hotch asked panicked eyes frantically looking around.

"Who?" asked Morgan narrowing his eyes. "Hotch, there's nobody here but me and Rossi."

"Armitage. He was….just here. In my…bed. He was….he was…raping me." He raised his eyes to Rossi. "Didn't you see him?"

Morgan and Rossi looked at each other. "Aaron, Morgan and I are the only ones here. There are two security guards outside your room. There's no way Armitage can get into your room. No way." Rossi explained laying a hand on his friend's arm and gave a start when his friend flinched and pulled away from his touch.

"No," Hotch repeated sliding further away from Rossi. "Please don't….touch me."

Right now to both men, their Unit Chief was falling apart before their eyes.

"I'm telling you….he's here. Is….in closet."

Morgan glanced at the closet before walking briskly over to it and yanked the door open revealing some empty clothes hangers and a men's bathrobe; nothing else. "Hotch, there's nothing here. You were dreaming."

Hotch, ignoring the wires he was still connected to, curled up into as much of a ball as his sore body would allow, his terror-filled eyes not looking at anybody or anything. "He was here…." he murmured over and over. "He…was here. Started….raping me."

Closing the closet quietly, Morgan approached the bed and exchanged worried looks with Rossi. "I was hoping this wouldn't happen," Rossi said softly watching his friend. "I really hoped PTSD wouldn't happen after all he's been through with that bastard." He looked at Morgan. "Find Dr. Blandon and let him know what's going on. I'll stay with Aaron."

Morgan grunted and hurried from the room. After he had gone, Rossi sat back down and looked at Hotch, but didn't touch him.

"Hotch…Aaron, listen to me, please. Morgan and I are not leaving your side. There are two security people outside your door. There is no way Armitage is getting in here without us knowing it. No way. You have to believe that." He saw Hotch's eyes; they were vacant and dead. "Aaron, please look at me. Let me know there's some part of you that can be reached." Still no response. Rossi hung his head and shook it sadly. He was afraid he was losing Aaron and might not get him back, ever. There was only so much a human could take before he snapped completely. And perhaps Hotch had reached his limit.

"Dave?" a small voice said causing Rossi to lift his head; Hotch was looking at him directly.

"Hotch, how do you feel now?" the older man asked, his brown eyes full of compassion and caring for the man he considered a son. And like any father, he hated to see his son in pain and wanted to do something about it.

"I….think….I think I'm….losing my mind. Help me." Hotch slowly unclenched one of his hands and slowly slid it across the bed until he touched Rossi's wrist and grabbing it, clung to it like a lifeline somebody had thrown him.

Rossi tentatively put his other hand on Hotch's shoulder and felt him tense but didn't pull away. "I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you need, you got it." Hearing a sound both men looked over at the doorway and saw Morgan standing there with Dr. Blandon, both men looking on quietly. After a moment, the doctor walked into the room with Morgan waiting near the door.

"Agent Hotchner, Agent Morgan explained to me what happened," Blandon began moving closer to the bed. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm not sure," Hotch replied embarrassingly. "I think…I think I'm losing….my mind."

"And why do you say that?"

Hotch swallowed the lump in his throat. "I'm seeing things that….aren't here."

"Such as this man Armitage?"

Hotch clung tighter to Rossi's wrist. "Yes," he said softly.

"Do you see him now, Agent Hotchner?"

Hotch bowed his head and shook it. "No,' he murmured. "But he'll…come back…for me. Put his hands…on me."

Blandon exhaled deeply before looking at Morgan and Rossi. "Agent Morgan, could you and Agent Rossi step outside so Agent Hotchner and I can talk for a minute?"

"Of course," Rossi said as he started to his feet.

"NO!" Hotch shouted tightening his grip on his friend's wrist as if afraid to let go although he didn't know why. Both Blandon and Morgan watched Hotch cling to the older profiler. Rossi meanwhile, glanced at Hotch and then looked up at the black agent.

"Morgan, leave us for a few minutes. I'll stay with Hotch so he won't feel he's alone while he talks with the doctor."

Morgan nodded. "I'll be right outside if you need me." He walked out leaving the others in the room. Once Morgan had left, Blandon wrapped his arms around himself and exhaled before looking at the agent and his patient simultaneously. He saw Rossi's look of deep concern.

"From what Agent Morgan has told me, Agent Hotchner, and from what little I've just seen, I think you are suffering from PTSD which will need to be looked into further by a professional to be certain. Tell me something. Has this man been caught?"

"Not yet. Doctor Blandon," Rossi explained. "Doctor, Aaron Hotchner is one of the strongest, most in control men I've ever known."

"I understand. But even the most in control and the strongest of men have limits as far as how much they can endure before they break. From what little I know of his mental state, I would say that whatever was done to Agent Hotchner by this man has caused him to reach his."

Rossi sighed as he digested this new information. He knew what Blandon had just said was true; he just never associated a 'breaking point' with Aaron. "But earlier when we visited him and when his wife and son visited, he was fine; no problems. What the hell happened to turn everything upside down so quickly like that?"

Blandon bit his lower lip. "Again I'm speaking in an area I don't know much about. But if I were to venture a guess, I would say Agent Hotchner had no reason to be afraid of this man while people were around him. But the minute he was alone, his fears took over."

Rossi shook his head. "Doc, Hotch isn't afraid of anything. You're talking about a man I've seen stare down a perpetrator pointing a gun in his face and talk him down without a shot fired."

"Everybody has a breaking point, agent. Now, I can give you or Agent Hotchner a list of excellent psychiatrists I know, or if there's somebody on the outside that can help him, I suggest an appointment for an evaluation and diagnosis be made. The sooner the better."

"I understand," Rossi said with a sigh. "I'll take care of everything. But I would appreciate the list just the same. But just so you know, Hotch will be resistant to seeing a shrink much less talking to one."

Tired of being ignored, Hotch raised his head and looked from one man to the other. "Just wait….a damn minute!" He raised his voice. "I don't need a…. fucking shrink! I'm fine! I can handle…. things myself!" Exhausted, he let his head fall back on the pillow. "No…shrink…can handle things…on my own."

Blandon released an exasperated sigh. "Agent Hotchner, the sooner you deal with your trauma the sooner you'll be back in control of your life again."

Hotch shook his head emphatically despite the discomfort the motion caused. "I don't….need a ….shrink. I'm fine. I can….handle things."

Rossi gave the doctor one of his 'I told you so' looks. But Blandon was not swayed. "Agent Hotchner, you may think you are able to handle things, but from where I stand, I disagree. Take right now, for example; you're holding onto Agent Rossi's wrist like it was a lifeline and you're afraid to let go. You're having nightmares about this man assaulting you again and I can see the fear in your eyes right now. I'm not a psychiatrist, but if you don't deal with the trauma of what you went through at the hands of this assailant, it's going to eat at you until it devours you completely."

Hotch again shook his head. "No shrink. Don't need one."

Rossi saw Blandon about to respond and held up his hand stopping him. "Let me speak with him. Aaron usually listens to me. I'll see he gets the help he needs." His eyes narrowed. "But what about right now? I mean, Hotch doesn't seem to be able to handle being alone."

Blandon checked his watch. "Visiting hours are over for the evening," he said. "However, if you and Agent Morgan can remain quiet and not cause any disruption, I wouldn't have a problem with the two of you staying in Agent Hotchner's room with him."

"Thanks a lot, doc." Rossi held out his hand and Blandon shook it firmly. The doctor then turned and walked away while Morgan returned to Hotch's room where he found his boss apparently sleeping still clutching Rossi's wrist; the older profiler looked over as Morgan stood in the doorway beckoning to him.

Rossi, using extreme care, freed his wrist from Hotch's hold and just as quietly got up from his chair, and joined the black agent out in the hallway just outside the room. He repeated what the doctor had told him. He watched the black agent exhale and shake his head.

"In the morning I can make some calls. I know a couple of people who might be able to help Aaron." Rossi glanced back inside the room to make sure his friend was still sleeping and he was. Since Strauss knows Aaron's gonna be out for awhile because of his injuries, there's no need for her to know about him seeing a shrink because of PTSD unless it becomes necessary."

"I agree," said Morgan. "But Hotch may be discharged from here in two or three days and then he's back in Quantico. What then? Can't very well have him see somebody on the base. Strauss will be sure to find out then."

"Then we'll just have to make sure whoever he sees isn't on the base. Also, if Hotch sees a shrink there's a good chance Strauss will have to get a copy of his report on his mental state; but if it's a minister, she's not." He grinned.

Morgan grinned at the older agent's grin. "Let me guess, you know the name of the minister Hotch and Haley see in their church."

"Just so happens I do."

* * *

Fortunately for Morgan and Rossi, Hotch slept through the night. The only indication that he might have been having bad dreams was the sound of whimpering coming from the man; but even then he didn't wake up. Rossi slept in the chair beside the bed while Morgan slept, somewhat uncomfortably in the chair beside the door. Come morning, both agents stretched their aching muscles and joints as sleeping in chairs was not agreeable with either man, more so with Rossi because of his age. They both noticed Hotch was beginning to awaken as well. He looked up at his friends with a sad and slightly fearful expression.

Hearing footsteps, the agents looked around and spotted JJ, Reid, Prentiss and Garcia walking into the room quietly; Reid had his shoulder bag, and Garcia with a shoulder bag containing her personal laptop. Morgan and Rossi excused themselves to Hotch stating they'd be right back, then both motioned for the others to wait outside as they needed to talk. When the team was gathered in the corridor, Rossi repeated the previous night's problem and Dr. Blandon's recommendations. When he was finished, he saw Garcia's lower lip tremble and JJ's fingertips cover her mouth. Prentiss, arms folded, exhaled deeply, and Reid stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and looked at his feet.

"Tell us what we can do for him?" asked the younger agent.

"Just what you're doing right now," Rossi explained. "Be here for Hotch, let him know he's not alone, and you've got his back."

"He knows that, Rossi," Emily said.

"Then we make sure he doesn't forget it," Morgan interjected with folded arms and narrowed eyes.

It was then that Dr. Blandon approached the group and noticed the other agents looking at him for some sign there was hope for their Unit Chief. "I gather Agents Rossi and Morgan have explained Aaron's condition to all of you; and what happened last night. I noticed all of you walking in and thought it would be better to talk with all of you as a group. But first I'd like to examine Aaron, so if all of you could wait out here until I'm done. Then you can visit."

"Aaron's kind of nervous this morning," Rossi explained. "Perhaps one of us should come with you while you examine him."

"I'll come with you," Reid answered with a faint smile.

"That won't be necessary," Blandon replied, eying the young agent.

"I know," Reid said. "But I want to."

"Perhaps I should go instead or at least with you, my young genius," Garcia said. "Hotch might feel uncomfortable with you in there."

Reid smiled. "He'll be fine, Garcia. I promise you he will not react to my presence."

Garcia was confused. "But how….?"

Reid smiled again. "Just take my word for it. He won't react badly." He then turned to the doctor. "I'm ready when you are."

With a smirk, Blandon walked inside his patient's room with Reid

* * *

Hotch lay on his back on the bed and watched the doctor walk into his room followed by Reid. He didn't felt his body tense up seeing the lanky young man with the long stringy hair and allowed the corners of his lips to turn upward. He even felt a relaxed state take over seeing the young genius.

"Agent Hotchner, I'm going to examine you, especially the cuts on your face and neck to see how the wounds are progressing. Agent Reid will remain with me to keep you relaxed. Will that be all right with you?" He saw his patient looking at the young doctor.

Reid could immediately tell from seeing his boss's eyes that Hotch didn't appear fearful of him, because he immediately sensed it was because Hotch didn't see him as a threat to him. Everybody knew Hotch was an alpha male, and so was Armitage from what he concluded. And alpha males only went after other alpha males. He took a step forward. "Hotch, it's me, Spencer. I can see you're feeling a bit uncomfortable right now, and that's okay. I would be too. And you know Dr. Blandon." He took another step forward as did Dr. Blandon.

Hotch didn't shy away from the two men as they approached; Reid's brown puppy-dog eyes never straying from his boss's. He noticed the slight upturn of the corners of Hotch's lips.

Reid had been saddened by his boss's physical condition and by what had been done to him, but he didn't show it. Instead, he turned and let his eyes briefly meet those of Garcia reassuring her. Then, he again faced Hotch with a slow smile appearing on his face.

"Hotch, it's okay. Dr. Blandon just needs to examine you to see how you're doing. Besides, you let him examine you before." Reid was now standing close enough that he could sit down in the chair. Reaching out, he rested a hand on Hotch's and squeezed. He knew his eyes were bright and moist and tried blinking them away as to not cry in front of his boss. He noticed as Blandon began his examination, Hotch clenched the blanket so tightly in his hands his knuckles were white realizing his boss was probably stressed out at being touched by a man and still fearful, but because Reid was present, he was using all his inner strength to hide how uncomfortable he truly was. He saw Hotch close his eyes and sigh, enduring the doctor's hands on one side of his face and now the other.

Smiling, Reid attempted to draw his boss's attention elsewhere. "Hotch, you wouldn't believe what Garcia, Prentiss and JJ have planned for you after you're out of here and back home. They're planning to help Haley with your recovery" He chuckled. "How about that, Hotch? Four ladies taking care of you. Between you and me, I think Morgan's jealous."

Hotch turned his face to look at Reid, knowing what he was trying to do, and smiled. "Thank you, Spencer. Makes this….a bit easier."

Blandon straightened up and smiled. "All finished Agent Hotchner. Everything is looking very good right now. I'm very pleased at your progress."

Reid looked up at the doctor. "Is it all right if I stay a little while?"

"Of course, Dr. Reid. But first, I want all of you including the patient to hear the results of my examination of Agent Hotchner so I won't have to keep repeating it." He walked to the door and motioned for the others to come in, and waited until they were all gathered around Hotch's bed before speaking.

* * *

He had watched them from the opposite end of the hall making sure he kept his baseball cap pulled down low over his hair. He couldn't afford to be caught now when the man who caused him so much grief was only a few feet down the opposite end of the hall. A smirk appeared on his face. He was glad he changed his hair and eyes back to their original color. He noticed things seemed a bit chaotic at the moment which was why he chose that time to come inside. He also knew Hotchner's team was there as he had seen them and watched them come and go since the agent had been admitted. He also spotted the plainclothes security positioned outside the agent's room. _If only they and your team weren't here right now, Aaron, _he thought to himself. _If none of them were here the things I would do to you before…_Not finishing his thought, he unzipped his leather jacket just enough to reach a hand inside and remove a square package with a slightly larger square envelope and walking up to the nurses' station, handed it to the nurse at the counter.

"Could you do me a favor, ma'am," he said using his best Hotchner-like smile. He noticed the petite brunette nurse smile back at him. "I'm afraid I can't stay but I just wanted to deliver this gift to one of your patients who is a good friend of mine. Could you see that he gets this for me?"

"Of course, sir. And what is the patient's name?" she asked.

"I'm sorry. He's an FBI Agent. His name's Aaron Hotchner. I just know he'll go crazy over it."

The nurse's eyes shifted to the group of agents down the hall, and when she turned back to the man he was gone.

* * *

Everyone waited with bated breath for the doctor to give them some hopefully good news; something to grab and hold onto.

"Agent Hotchner, I normally would talk to you and your wife together, but as she isn't here right now and your team members are quite involved in your care, I thought it might be better for now to inform your team as well as you."

"How is he?" asked Garcia nervously chewing her lower lip.

"Agent Hotchner's facial injuries are healing quite nicely and it seems the infection is clearing up as well. In fact, I now believe we can repair the damage to his face and throat in six weeks after the infection has cleared and the injuries have healed completely. Also, we can release him in forty-eight hours and he can continue his recovery at home." The doctor's words brought excitement amongst the agents. Their boss would leave the hospital in two days, and in six weeks his face and neck would be repaired and again look as good as new.

"That's wonderful news isn't it, sir?" asked a beaming Garcia, looking at her boss. She noticed Hotch seemingly oblivious to everybody and his face impassive as his mind was absorbing what he had heard.

"Scars….not permanent?" he asked Blandon looking into his eyes.

"Correct. Your face and neck can be repaired good as new. And you can go home to your wife and son in two or three days."

Hotch's mind was racing. _Home. Haley. Jack. Home._ But then less pleasant thoughts appeared as well. _Armitage is out there somewhere. He'll be waiting for me._ He swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Of course," Blandon continued, studying the agent now. "I will supply a copy of your medical records and my recommendations before you leave for home. Also, I know a few good plastic surgeons in the Quantico area and can give you two letters of recommendation before you leave; one you will give to your personal doctor for him to follow-up with your care, and the other for whichever plastic surgeon of your choosing informing them that I am referring you to them personally."

Just then, a petite brunette nurse approached the group and knocked on the door before entering the room. "Excuse me. Agent Rossi?"

Rossi turned. "I'm Agent Rossi. How can I help you?"

The nurse handed him a wrapped package with an envelope attached. "A man left this at the nurses' station saying it was for Agent Hotchner."

Taking the package, Rossi began to rip at the wrapping paper while Morgan looked at the nurse. "What did this man look like?" he asked.

The nurse shrugged her shoulders. "He was about six feet with light brown hair and blue-gray eyes. He was wearing a leather jacket and a baseball cap which he wore pulled low over his face."

Morgan sighed. "Could be our guy," he told the others; then, he turned back to the nurse. "Sweetheart, we're gonna get a sketch artist here and have you describe this man."

Once the package was unwrapped, Rossi held it up knowing there would be no fingerprints on the wrapping paper or the contents of the package. He held up a diamond case with a DVD inside. He and his team members all exchanged concerned looks. Then Morgan, out of the corner of his eye, caught Hotch's expression. The man looked distressed.


	26. Chapter 26Realization

****Sorry this chapter took so long. Have been a bit under the weather and my depression was acting up.****

**Chapter 26-Realization**

"We need to see what's on this DVD," Rossi explained to the others. "And we're going to need Garcia's help." The older profiler looked sadly at Reid who still sat beside Hotch's bed.

"Why don't you….go with team. Watch….DVD," Hotch said to the young agent. "Will be all right….have watchdogs….outside room. Won't be alone," he replied

"Are you sure, Hotch?" Reid asked with narrowed eyes. "I don't mind. I mean, the team can spare me while they check out what's on that DVD and then fill me in later."

Hotch smiled weakly. "Go with….team…that's….an order."

* * *

After getting permission from Doctor Blandon to use one of the empty conference rooms for an hour or two, the team followed Rossi inside the conference room and waited for Garcia to set up her laptop before Rossi handed her the DVD and the team gathered around her to watch it as she inserted it into the slot on the side.

"_I know I told you all I planned to send you a video on Thursday, but I've suddenly grown tired of your boss's company and have decided to put him out of his misery a day sooner….."_

"That bastard was gonna kill Hotch a day earlier," Morgan hissed, his eyes never leaving the screen.

They all winced at the sight of the weary, seemingly beaten and broken Aaron Hotchner as he turned his face towards the camera.

"_Dave, you have always been my very best friend. You've always been there for me when I needed someone to listen to me about things I couldn't discuss with anybody else. Take care of the team for me….."_ The others looked at Rossi who wrapped his arms around himself.

"_Derek, you're one of the best agents I've ever had the pleasure of working with. I trusted you with my life, and I know you probably right now are thinking you failed me somehow. Let me assure you that you didn't….." _Derek blinked back the tears threatening to roll down his face.

"_Emily, you are one of the brightest and strongest women I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You're tough and brave. Don't let my death cause you to change who you are, and affect how you do whatever you chose to do…." _Prentiss wiped her cheeks with one hand and smiled weakly.

"_Spencer, you are without a doubt the smartest young man I've ever known. I believe I relied on your genius too much and took advantage sometimes. I'm only sorry that like Gideon, I am leaving you without personally saying goodbye. Please accept my deepest apologies. I expect to hear great things about you despite being on the other side…." _Reid felt Morgan's hand on his shoulder as he wiped away the tears that were falling. He couldn't believe his boss, his friend, was apologizing for not being able to say goodbye personally because he was taken away by an UnSub and about to be murdered.

"_JJ, you are one of the gentlest, strongest, and most gracious women I've ever known. You always knew what to say to me when nobody else did. Whether you know it or not, you are the anchor that keeps us grounded when things get crazy as they so often do with the things we see. Keep the team grounded. And above all, JJ, don't let my death destroy or scar you emotionally…." _JJ rested two fingers against her mouth as her eyes glistened.

"_Penelope. What can I say about you that hasn't already been said. While JJ is the anchor that keeps the team grounded, you are the bright spark that we need when things become too dark as they often do. You supply that bright light that we needed, and you always knew when we needed to smile. I know I didn't say it often enough, but you are without a doubt, one of the most important people on this team. You are the reason for our success…." _Garcia bit her lower lip as her tears fell. "As are you, my liege," she said softly.

"_Lastly, I need all of you to watch after Haley and Jack for me. Make sure she's able to move on with her life; make sure she finds someone to share her life with again and to love when she's ready. Don't let her wallow in grief and sadness. And be there for Jack as well. He's going to need a male figure in his life to teach him things only another man could. And tell Haley and Jack that I love them."_

The team then gasped as they watched Armitage dump water all over Hotch before plugging in a set of cables and approach their leader holding them. His screams of pain as his body arched was nearly more than any of then could take. When the DVD ended, Garcia, with a shaky hand, removed the DVD and handed it back to Rossi who returned it to the diamond case. She then turned off the laptop.

The agents all sat stock still as they digested not only what they had seen Hotch endure, but the words he had spoke to each of them. They had never realized the true depths of their boss's feelings for them, even though they were well aware of his respect and friendship. They eventually each looked at each other. That was when Rossi's cell rang.

"Rossi," the older agent said answering his cell. "You're sure? You checked everywhere? Then check again. You did? No, no, that's okay. What about the sketch artist? Good. Thanks for the call." He disconnected the call and looked at the others. "A search of this hospital did not produce Jason Armitage. Apparently he came in here to drop off the package for Hotch and then left." There were grumblings among the team.

"What about the sketch artist?" asked Prentiss.

"The nurse is giving her description to the sketch artist as we speak. JJ, once we get that sketch, compare it to the photo of Jason Armitage, then set up a press conference and release the sketch. Also, put out an APB on this bastard. The more people looking for him the better chance we have of catching him."

"You got it," the blond said.

"What's in the envelope?" asked Morgan.

Rossi, having forgotten the envelope after watching the DVD, pulled it from his jacket pocket and ripped it open removing a card with a black wreath on it's front. Frowning at the cover, he opened it and read the inscription aloud:

"Aaron, just to let you know I am watching and willing to wait. Your team surprised me by finding you before I got my final revenge. Be advised the next time you will not be so lucky. When you and your team least expect it, I will again have you, and I promise the end this time will be swift and painful. Signed, Jason." Rossi exhaled through his nose.

"What do we tell Hotch?" asked Prentiss wearily. "I mean, he knows about the DVD and the envelope. We can't exactly lie to him about it."

"And I don't plan to," Rossi advised her shoving the envelope in his jacket pocket. "You guys go back to Aaron's room and stay with him. I have some phone calls to make after which I'll join you. "

"Who are you going to call?" asked Reid.

"First I'm gonna call Haley and let her know what's happening so she can decide if she plans to come to the hospital and bring Jack. If Armitage is watching this hospital, I don't want her and Jack caught in the crossfire. Then I'm going to have to update Strauss about Armitage coming to the hospital." He sighed. "Whatever you do, don't tell Aaron anything about what's on the DVD or in the envelope, although I suspect he already knows what's on the DVD. I'll handle that."

Garcia, her lower lip trembling, looked up at the older profiler. "Will Hotch be all right, sir?"

Rossi smiled warmly at the usually perky tech analyst who had just asked the question he had been wondering himself. "Physically he should be fine. Emotionally, with the proper help, he hopefully will recover. But whether or not he returns to the BAU remains something I can't answer. That decision will be Aaron's, and he's the only one who can make it. All we can do is support whatever decision he makes even if we don't agree or like it."

* * *

Despite being advised of the contents of the DVD and the card accompanying it, followed later by Haley and Jack visiting and having dinner in his room with him, Hotch seemed to be able to hold himself together for the most part. But that ended when an intern brought him his lunch the following day which consisted of soup, juice and red jello. As soon as the aroma of the soup reached his nostrils, Hotch started to freak out by pushing the tray away so violently the contents splattered across the floor. Trembling, he squeezed his eyes shut and curled up beneath the blankets as interns and nurses raced into the room followed by Rossi and Reid; the others remained outside the room, nervously watching what was unfolding inside.

"Take it away!" Hotch muttered. "Don't want it!"

"Agent Hotchner," one of the nurses began gently as she placed a hand on Hotch's shoulder; he sharply jerked away and buried himself further beneath the blankets. Reid and Rossi looked briefly at each other before Reid stepped forward and eased the nurse out of the way and put a hand on his boss's shoulder. He felt the man's body tense.

"Hotch, talk to me. What's upsetting you? Is it the food? Help us understand." He noticed his boss turn his head towards him, a panicked look on his face.

"Armitage fed me….same soup….reminds me….of him." He spotted Dr. Blandon now standing in the doorway watching. Apparently the man had either been summoned or drawn to the room by the commotion. He was watching the younger agent's interaction with his boss.

"Don't worry about it, Aaron," he said calmly. "It's not a problem. I'll have something else prepared and brought to you instead." And from that moment on Blandon made sure his patient didn't receive any nourishment that reminded him of his ordeal.

Following that adjustment, the remainder of his stay in the hospital passed without incident. On the day he was being discharged, Hotch was secretly apprehensive knowing his captor was somewhere out there waiting for him, but he was still happy to be going home back to Quantico. He knew his team had promised to be there as did Haley, and he wondered if his wife would bring Jack with her. He dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a white shirt open at the collar and a pair of sneakers. He was busily packing whatever he had into his go-bag which wasn't very much when there was a knock on the door. Looking over his shoulder he saw Rossi and the other members of his team walk into the room, all smiles. He allowed himself a small smile.

"You ready to leave this place?" asked Rossi.

"Can't be soon enough," Hotch replied zipping up his go-bag. "Did Haley come with you guys?"

"She's at the front desk signing some papers for your discharge, and speaking with Dr. Blandon about caring for the wounds on your face and neck for the next six weeks, plus getting the referrals for your physician and whatever plastic surgeon the two of you choose," added Morgan.

Rossi sat on the edge of the bed. "Guys, could you give us some privacy for a few minutes?"

Sensing what the older profiler wanted to discuss, Morgan ushered the others out of the room and into the hallway. Now alone, Rossi and Hotch exchanged looks.

"I know what you want to talk about, Dave," Hotch commented before Rossi opened his mouth. "And I haven't changed my mind. Not that I don't appreciate the trouble you went through in making the phone contacts, but I don't need a shrink. I can deal with what happened on my own."

"Can you?" asked Rossi with hands clasped and arms resting on his knees. "From where I sit I beg to differ. Aaron, you flinch if an alpha male puts a hand on you. You freaked out when you smelled a bowl of soup that reminded you of the same soup Armitage fed you. You're having dreams of the man attacking you. That doesn't sound like somebody who is dealing with it to me." He saw his friend give him a stern look but didn't let it deter him. "Look, Aaron, I can't make you see somebody about what you went through with Armitage. But what are you going to do if you lose it around Jack? He's only five and like any other five-year-old, he's going to do things that are going to stress you out. How can you be sure you won't flip out and end up doing or saying something that you'll regret for the rest of your life? What if you lose it with Haley? How are you going to be able to live with yourself then?"

"I'll _handle_ it, Dave, don't worry about it," Hotch repeated a bit harsher than he planned. "I'll be fine. Now can we just drop it?"

"No I won't drop it," Rossi continued. "Aaron, believe me when I say you will lose it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you _will_ lose it. And I can only pray to God it's not in front of Jack because it'll frighten him, and I know you don't want that."

Hotch now had a dark look on his face. "I thought we agreed never to profile each other, Dave."

Rossi folded his arms and sighed. "I'm not. I'm just stating a simple fact."

"Sounds more like you were profiling to me," Hotch found his temper rising despite knowing his friend meant well.

Rossi was about to respond when he noticed Haley walking through the door holding Jack's hand; behind her was Dr. Blandon pushing a wheelchair through the door.

"Aaron….' she began.

"_What!" _Hotch shouted as he spun angrily around, a look of rage on his face. He paused when his eyes fell on Haley who was staring, stunned, at her husband, startled by his unexpected outburst and expression. Then, his eyes shifted down to Jack who was partially hidden behind his mother's legs. Even Dr. Blandon was looking at him. Hotch smiled at his son. "Hey buddy. I'm sorry I shouted. I didn't mean to frighten you." He crouched down and held out his arms toward his son. "Daddy sure could use a hug right now." But Jack just shrank further behind Haley's legs peeking out at his father, fear clearly written on his face. And it was that look on his son's face that broke Aaron Hotchner's heart and told him what he now knew he needed to do. Slowly standing up, he walked over to the bed and sat down beside the older agent.

JJ, drawn partially into the room with the others by Hotch's shouting, edged further into the room and scooped Jack up into her arms as Haley glanced over her shoulder with a grateful look on her face. "C'mon, sweetie," the blond liaison said holding the little boy tightly. "Let's go outside and find something yummy in the snack machine. I think I saw a chocolate bar in there with your name on it." She quickly exited the room leaving the adults alone. She sensed Hotch's eyes watching her leave with his son. Sighing, he bowed his head. He felt somebody cup his chin and raise his head and found himself looking into the eyes of his wife who's face was impassive; but her eyes showed forgiveness.

"Haley, I am so, so sorry," Hotch said.

"I know you are," she replied with the corners of her mouth turning slightly upward. "I'll talk to Jack so he'll understand. But the thing is, Aaron, what are you going to do about it to make sure it doesn't continue happening?"

Hotch looked over at Rossi and felt his friend's hand grip his shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. "It's gonna be okay," Rossi said softly. "Trust me." He reached into his pocket and removing a slip of paper, handed it to his friend. Hotch smiled weakly when he saw it was a list of names Dr. Blandon had given Rossi along with the name of his and Haley's minister.

"You trust me to set up an appointment with one of these people?" Hotch asked.

"Believe it or not I do," Rossi explained with a grin. "I also believe you know it's what you have to do if you want to regain control of your life. You don't want to give Strauss a leg to stand on if she tries to use what happened to you against you."

"Daddy?" a small voice was heard. Looking up, Hotch saw JJ standing just outside the doorway holding Jack who's face was smeared with chocolate from the candy bar he held in his hands.

Hotch smiled. "Hey, buddy. Aunt JJ got you a chocolate bar. Is it good?"

"Yeth," the little boy said wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and smearing the chocolaty mess around. "Daddy, you still mad?"

"No buddy. Daddy's not mad."

JJ, smiling, set Jack down on the floor and everybody watched as the little boy ran to his father and held out his arms wanting his daddy to pick him up which Hotch did; Jack wrapped his arms around his father's neck and licked the chocolate from his small fingers. Hotch buried his face in the crook of his son's neck and closed his eyes letting the warmth of the small body permeate his. Pulling back, he and his son looked at each other.

"Listen, see that chair with the wheels on it over there?" Hotch motioned with his head towards the wheelchair. Jack looked over his shoulder and nodded vigorously at his father. "That's daddy's ride out of the hospital. How'd you like to ride with me?"

"Can I turn on the siren?" Jack asked. There was soft laughter from the agents, Haley and Blandon. Hotch simply smiled.

"There's no siren, but I'm sure Dr. Blandon will let you ride up front with me if you ask him nicely." Jack looked over his shoulder again at the doctor.

"Can I ride up fwont with daddy?" he asked with a mouthful of chocolate. "Pwease?"

Blandon smiled at the child. "You certainly can, Jack. In fact, you can sit in your father's lap while I steer." That said, the doctor rolled the wheelchair into the room up close to the bed to allow Hotch to shift his body while holding Jack in his arms into the wheelchair. Once settled, he rested his son on his thighs; Rossi grabbed the go bag and soon the small group was heading down the hall towards the exit.

* * *

**Only the epilogue is left and will be posted soon.**


	27. Chapter 27EPILOGUE

_**EPILOGUE**_

_**Eight Months Later**_

Aaron Hotchner leaned back in the leather chair behind his desk and closing his eyes, sighed wearily. He had been back to work for two weeks now and he felt as if it were his first day of work and he was a newbie on the team. Opening his eyes, he absentmindedly touched one cheek and momentarily wondered where the scar had gone when his fingers felt the smooth skin, and then he remembered how successful the reconstructive surgery had been on his face and neck. He recalled the day of his meeting with Strauss after she had obtained a copy of the therapist's report and evaluation of his emotional and mental state following his ordeal. He had decided, in the end, to select one of Dr. Blandon's recommendations because to go with the minister Strauss would be unable to obtain a copy of anything and would suspect he might be hiding something. This way, he figured, she couldn't use the report against him.

Staring through the Venetian blinds from behind his desk, he could see his team at their desks busy with various tasks. A small smile appeared as he recalled not only the days prior to his return, but the first day he actually walked back into the office as Unit Chief.

_His team greeted him warmly as if he had never been gone; they even marveled how good he looked and Garcia went as far as to remark that he was as handsome as ever. He knew they were doing their best and trying to make sure he felt good about himself after having had the reconstructive surgery and that he again looked the way they remembered him. He even blushed a bit remembering when Garcia threw her arms around him and hugged him while kissing him on the cheek welcoming her boss back before hurrying back to her private little area. Hotch remembered looking into JJ's bright blue eyes while accepting the welcome back wishes, hugs and pats on the back. The way she smiled at him told him the phone conversation was over and forgotten as far as she was concerned, but he still felt a bit guilty over what he had said. The weeks of therapy he attended during the time he waited for his scars to heal didn't totally alleviate that guilt completely although JJ made it a point to remind him whenever he brought it up that what he said didn't bother her so he shouldn't feel guilty. After that, he just didn't bring it up anymore and made certain he hid his guilty feeling from her whenever they talked. _

_He then massaged his forehead when he then recalled the phone call at ten a.m. from Strauss summoning him to her office prior to his return, and when he showed up she informed him she had received and reviewed the therapist's report; and that he was scheduled for a psych evaluation at nine a.m. the following day and not to be late. He could tell from her eyes, even though she didn't voice it, that she seemed disappointed that the therapist hadn't found a reason for her to terminate his employment with the Bureau._

_Hotch arrived the following day an hour before his scheduled appointment, and stopped by to visit Garcia who squealed with joy at seeing her boss and promptly gave him a tight hug even though she knew her boss was not the demonstrative type when it came to emotions. But she didn't care, she was just so ecstatic to see him standing in front of her. After a short visit with his tech analyst, Hotch made his way up to the sixth floor where he knew from Garcia his team was as they were not currently on a case at the moment. The greeting he got from his team nearly equaled that of Garcia. When asked when he was returning, he let them know he was here for his scheduled psych evaluation in less than an hour per Strauss's orders and he only considered it a formality to be tolerated. He then asked Rossi if they could talk privately. Sensing his friend had something he needed to get off his chest before his appointment, Rossi led the way to his office. Once inside, he motioned for Hotch to have a seat. Hotch sat down on the leather sofa and after closing his door, Rossi sat down beside his friend._

"_What's troubling you, Aaron?" he asked leaning back on the sofa and folding his arms, looking at his friend. _

_Leaning forward with arms on his thighs, Hotch rubbed his hands together. "Who said anything's troubling me?" he asked looking at his hands._

"_C'mon, Aaron, this is me you're talking to. I've known you for over ten years and I know when something's troubling you. Now talk to me."_

_Hotch turned his head to look at the older profiler. "Dave, what if I don't pass this psych evaluation? What do I do?"_

_Rossi exhaled and stretched an arm on the back of the sofa behind Hotchner. "Is there some reason you think you won't pass it?"_

"_No. Thanks to the therapy I'm as ready as I'll ever be."_

"_Then where is this doubt coming from?" Rossi asked, eyebrows knitted together._

"_I don't know, Dave. I just know I feel doubt."_

"_Do you __**want**__ to come back to the BAU? Or have you changed your mind about coming back?"_

_Hotch straightened up and ran his hands up and down his thighs. "No, of course not. I need to come back. I have to come back. It's just that I have this nagging doubt that I can't seem to shake."_

"_Okay, let's look at this then." Rossi folded his arms again and crossed his legs. "Do you doubt yourself as a leader because of Armitage and what he did to you? Are you feeling that you can't lead anymore? Because if so, Aaron, this is something I hoped you would have discussed…."_

"_It's got nothing to do with Armitage per se.…." Hotch interrupted._

"_Then I don't….." Rossi began and suddenly it dawned on him what it could be. "It's JJ isn't it?"_

_Hotch rubbed his hands together again and looked at his hands, unable to look at his friend. "I can't forget the things I said to her on the phone. Just now, when I saw her in the bullpen, I could barely look her in the face. I think the reason I have this doubt is because when I come back there's no way I can avoid JJ and I can't bring myself to look her in the face either. It might be better if I don't pass the psych evaluation. Then Strauss won't let me come back and I won't have to worry about JJ having to work with me anymore."_

_Rossi listened closely. "Aaron, look at me." He waited until he got Hotch's complete attention before continuing. "Have you discussed this with JJ at all?"_

"_Several times."_

"_And what did she tell you each time?"_

_Hotch exhaled. "She told me it didn't bother her. That she wanted me to say those things to her because it kept Armitage from injuring me further by doing it."_

"_Aaron, JJ didn't repeat what you said to her verbatim, but she said enough that I had a rough idea what Armitage forced you to say to her. You know he did that solely because he knew it would humiliate you which was his goal. JJ told us given another chance she would still have you say what you said to keep you from getting hurt. It was her way of feeling she was helping you in some way."_

"_But in helping me I humiliated and embarrassed her," Hotch straightened up again and faced his friend._

"_Fine," Rossi said sternly. "Then you go out there and tell JJ that she should have just let you die rather than trying to help you because that's basically what you're saying. You're saying it would have been better for her to possibly hear you being killed over the phone rather than do what she did. Am I right?"_

_Hotch fell back on the couch and exhaled deeply. "No I wouldn't have wanted that for her. I wouldn't want that for anybody. How could you even ask me that?"_

"_Then I don't see what the problem here is," said Rossi. "You can't have it both ways, Aaron. Either you skip the psych evaluation and let Strauss know you don't intend on coming back to the BAU; or you learn to forgive yourself for what Armitage forced you to say just as JJ forgave you and learn that you do what you have to in order to stay alive."_

_Hotch sighed and then chuckled. "Forgiving myself is something I've never been good at. I'm much better at blaming myself for everything that goes wrong."_

_Rossi chuckled. "A trait your father probably instilled in you at a young age; that you're to blame for everything that goes wrong. It's time to break that pattern, Aaron."_

_Hotch checked his watch and noticed the time. "I have just enough time to get to my appointment." He smiled slightly as he looked at Rossi. "Thanks, Dave, for listening to me rant. And thanks for everything."_

"_My pleasure. Now, go get 'em, tiger," Rossi urged with a wide smile. He watched as his friend got to his feet and walked out of his office heading for his appointment which would decide his future and whether it would include the Bureau and the BAU._

Hotch sighed as he straightened up in his leather chair and returned to his paperwork. He was so absorbed in reading the case file in front of him he didn't hear the knocking on his door right away. The knocking came again, louder this time.

"Come in," Hotch ordered not looking up until he heard the door open and smiled when he saw the blond media liaison standing in the doorway, her face impassive. He noticed she was holding a file folder in her hand.

"We have a case," she said. "Atlanta, Georgia."

Hotch, sighing, stood up. "Should have known things were a bit too quiet around here," he quipped putting on his serious face as he looked at JJ.

She managed to grin weakly. "You've now been officially welcomed back, Hotch."

He smirked. "Gather everybody in the conference room. I'll be right there."

Ten minutes later the team was gathered around the conference table and watching their Unit Chief as he approached the table looking stoic and confident as usual; he sat down. But before JJ could stand up and begin her presentation of the case they were going to take on, Hotch's cell phone rang. Sighing with apparent annoyance, he reached inside his jacket and removed his phone looking at the caller ID to see who the caller was. He suddenly turned pale.

"Hotch? What's wrong?" asked Morgan, eyes narrowing.

Hotch pressed a button and put the cell on speaker so everybody could hear.

There was a familiar laugh that made the agents cringe. Morgan immediately grabbed his own cell and placed a call to Garcia to attempt to trace the call; but she quickly reported it was impossible as it was a disposable cell. Morgan mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

"_I know you put me on speaker, Aaron. But I'm not worried as this cell is disposable. I'll be waiting for you. I'll be waiting, and watching."_ There was a click indicating the call had been disconnected.

For a full minute it was so silent in the conference room one could hear breathing. Hotch, swallowing hard, stuck his cell back in his inside jacket pocket and taking a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure and let his team see he was in control. He looked at each team member and saw them looking at him with concern.

"We'll get 'im, Aaron," Rossi announced. "We won't let him get to you again."

Hotch opened the file in front of him indicating the subject was now closed. "I know," he said calmly. He then looked at the media liaison. "JJ, what about this case in Atlanta?"

With those words, the team followed their leader's example and got back to work.

**THE END**


End file.
